Her mom probably doesn't need to write an excuse.

Elizabeth, a seventh-grader at St. Francis de Sales School in Beckley, is heading to the nation's capital to represent the Gazette-Mail in the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee. She will be accompanied by her mother, Rosemary; her brother, Matthew, 14; and her sister, Sarah, 13.

She placed first in the 2011 Gazette-Mail Regional Spelling Bee in March. Her prizes included an all-expense-paid, weeklong trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She also won a $2,500 SMART529 savings account for college. 

The March 12 regional bee was co-sponsored by the West Virginia Housing Development Fund and West Virginia American Water. It was televised on MyZtv by WSAZ.

The Koh family will make the drive to National Harbor, Md. this weekend. While the bee has traditionally been held in downtown Washington, D.C., organizers moved the competition to nearby National Harbor, Md. this year.

"I'm excited and nervous," Elizabeth said.

There aren't any official study guides for the national bee so Elizabeth has relied on websites and unofficial supplements.

"My brother is helping me as well," she said.

Matthew Koh won the Gazette-Mail Regional Spelling Bee in 2008 and finished second in last year's competition. He's now finishing up his freshman year at Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley.

"When Matthew went to the regional bee and to the nationals, I wanted to experience that," Elizabeth said. "He'll test me on words; he'll help me find rules, the origins."

She says knowing if a word started as Latin, French, German or Arabic can make all the difference if she is given an unfamiliar term.

"It's like using clues. A certain sound in French has a certain spelling. You can confirm your answer," she said.

When a strange word pops up, Elizabeth says she comes up with a couple of different spellings in her mind. Knowing the word's origin can help her pick which is likely to be the correct one, as each language has its own spelling rules.

If longtime national bee pronouncer Jacques Bailly throws out a word she doesn't know, Elizabeth says she'll try to relax and consider the word's origin.

"One of the main things is to stay calm and keep your cool," she said. "Luck is involved a lot in the National Spelling Bee. It's just the turn of the list."

The national bee won't be the first time Elizabeth has faced stiff competition. She has competed in school and county spelling bees since she was in fourth grade, but this year was the first time she made it to the Gazette-Mail Regional Spelling Bee.

"We have some tough spellers in Raleigh County," she said.

No kidding. Raleigh County students have taken the championship in seven of the last 10 regional bees. Elizabeth placed third in Raleigh County's bee last year behind her brother, who was runner-up. The county's winner, Erin Mills, went on to win the 2010 regional bee. Matthew also was eligible to compete and placed second.

Now it's Elizabeth's turn in the national spotlight. Although she's nervous about the competition, she said she still would enjoy her trip.

"I'm just looking forward to the experience of going to D.C.," she said.

Bee organizers have planned a Memorial Day cookout for spellers and their families on Monday. Contestants will tour the nation's capital on Friday.

"And, of course, there's an awards ceremony," Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth is involved in dance and martial arts and is a member of her school's 4-H club and student council. She's a straight-A student, and her favorite subjects are math and science. She plays piano and violin, and she recently made her stage debut with a small part in a school play.

"I just did it for fun. It's called 'After Hours.' It's about mannequins coming to life," she said.

Spellers aren't allowed to compete in regional bees if they've previously won the national competition. Elizabeth is hoping to place first next week, but if she doesn't, she'll definitely try to make the regional bee next year.

"You learn so many new things, experience so many new experiences. You get to meet a lot of new people and a lot of new words," she said.

The national bee begins Monday with a written test, the first round of competition.

Rounds two and three begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday. They will be televised on ESPN3. The bee's semifinal rounds will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday and will be shown on ESPN.

The championship finals also will be shown on ESPN starting at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Reach Zack Harold at zack.har...@dailymail.com or 304-348-7939.