Sage Trudeau could perhaps be forgiven for seeming a bit “egotistical” walking the halls of the Florence Rideout Elementary School these days.

The fourth-grader nailed that word to win the Scripps Spelling Bee at FRES last week.

“This is different from a school spelling bee, as Scripps has a comprehensive word list sorted by difficulty and age that’s consistent nationwide,” said Morgan Kudlich, a music teacher at Florence Rideout who helped organized the event.

Students in grades three through five are allowed to participate, and Kudlich explained why younger students compete against fifth-graders.

“It gives students a chance to understand what they’re working towards and to practice resilience,” she said, adding that many of the best spellers make it to the bee several years in a row.

It’s not just about spelling, however. Students also look at the morphology of words, which is how a word is formed. Kudlich said teachers run mock bees leading up to the event, and that students are expected to take personal responsibility for their learning by practicing the words at home. 

Trudeau clinched victory in the 14th round. A word that tripped up other spellers was “bayou.”

“I think it makes sense given our geographical location,” Kudlich said of the problems with “bayou,” adding, “It seems that students struggle more with words they never use or hear far more than silent letters or strange spellings.”

Trudeau will participate in an online qualifier this month, and potentially move on to the state bee in the spring, said Kudlich.