Shakopee 8th-grader earns trip to National Spelling Bee

A speller from the community that has produced Minnesota's lone national champion is sending another contender to the big show.

Eighth-grader Elise Weier, who attends Shakopee Junior High West, captured the regional title on Tuesday at South Central College in North Mankato. The victory earned her a spot in the nationally televised Scripps National Spelling Bee scheduled for May 22-27 just outside Washington, D.C.

Weier went through 17 rounds of competition with rivals in grades 5 through 8 before coming out on top. She won by correctly spelling "mercerize." The word means to treat cotton yarns or fabric with caustic alkali under tension, in order to increase strength, luster, and affinity for dye.

Among Weier's prizes for winning out over 42 others are fully paid expenses and accommodations for her and a chaperon to the national showdown.

Another Minnesotan will earn a ticket to the nation's capital once the seven-county Metro Area Regional Spelling Bee settles on a champ March 20 at St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater.

The National Spelling Bee started in 1925 with nine contestants. Minnesota's only national champion to date is Shakopee's Sean Conley in 2001.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482