C-O-Y-O-T-E.

Coyote, spelled by Jordan Townes, was the word that won the 2016 Vicksburg Warren School District Spelling Bee, held Thursday at Bowmar Elementary School

Townes, a sixth-grader from Warren Central Intermediate, had been to the district spelling bee for the past three years, and placed first runner up last year.

“I haven’t stopped smiling,” Townes said after winning.

Despite this being Townes’ fourth trip to the District Bee, she said she was still unsure if this year would be her year.

“It felt really surreal,” she said. “I had no clue I was going to be one of the final two up there because they started with those big words, and I thought, wait, I don’t even remember seeing these on the list.”

Townes said she was given a list of about 475 words to study, and the toughest word she spelled during the competition was mizzle, a verb that means to rain in very fine drops.

“My mom told me to study for an hour or so, then take a break, then go study some more,” she said. “I used the Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster apps on my phone to help pronounce the words.”

Townes parents Alicia and Darrel Moreland said they are proud of her.

“She studied so hard,” she said. “She set her mind to it, and she did it.”

Alicia said her daughter has always been great at spelling and many other subjects as well.

“We’re very excited to go watch her compete at the state competition,” she said.

Warren Central Intermediate Spelling Bee Coordinator and Townes’ gifted teacher Cindy Blades said Townes’ school bee wasn’t until Jan. 21, which left her with a short time frame before the district competition.

“She had very little time to study for this bee,” she said. “I told her, ‘Jordan, you have less than three weeks to study for this,’ and she said, ‘I got this.’”

Blades said all of Townes studying occurred at home and she was very proud of her and her accomplishment.

“I was absolutely ecstatic,” she said. “I know she’s wanted this for a while. She’s just a phenomenal student in general. We’re stoked.”

Next, Townes will compete at the state competition March 15 in Jackson at Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

“I want to thank everyone who helped me accomplish this,” Townes said. “I’m going to put in some more time to study for the state competition.”

Bovina Elementary’s Zion Nixon was first runner up, and second runner-up was Ashlynn Palmer of Beechwood Elementary. Other participants of the Warren County Spelling Bee were Ja Kenya Bershell, of Bowmar Elementary; Ronnier Hedrick, of Redwood Elementary; Peyton Sikes, of South Park Elementary; Sarah Randolph, of Academy of Innovation; Marquasia Smith, of Vicksburg Intermediate; Taylon Smith, of Vicksburg Junior High; Aubrey Ruby, of Warren Central Junior High; and Teyanna Monroe, of Warrenton Elementary.