Elise Heyen, an eighth-grader at Hillsboro Middle School and this year?s Marion County Spelling Bee champion, placed fifth at the state bee Saturday on the campus of Washburn University in Topeka.
Heyen, daughter of Bruce and Janell Heyen, was one of 99 contestants from across the state. The event took nearly 41⁄2 hours to complete.
Heyen is believed to be the first student from Hillsboro to win the Marion County Spelling Bee and go on to compete at the state bee.
