OLATHE, Kan. - An Olathe teenager hopes the fourth time is the charm, as she will once again represent her school district in the 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Kavya Shivashankar, 13, recently won the Olathe District spelling bee to qualify for the national event. She will be making her fourth and final trip to Washington, DC as a competitor.
She finished 10th, 8th, and 4th in the nation during her previous three appearances. The nationally televised bee will take place on May 27 and 28.
ESPN will be in Olathe later this month to shoot a feature on her that will be aired during the bee.
Shivashankar says her love of spelling started in Kindergarten, and she participated in her first spelling bee in seconnd grade. She's won several competitions, including the Junior National Spelling Bee, the Jack and Jill Spelling Bee, and the Kansas State Fair Spelling Bee. But she's hoping this will be the year she will capture the elusive Scripps National Spelling Bee title.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company, the owner of NBC Action News.
