S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
Kavya Shivashankar is the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champ
By Vickie An May 29, 2009

If Kavya Shivashankar, 13, was nervous, she never showed it. On Thursday, the eighth-grader from Olathe, Kansas, confidently spelled her way through 16 tongue-twisting rounds to be crowned queen of the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The spelling contest takes place each year in Washington, D.C.

Kavya took top honors after correctly spelling Laodicean (lay-odd-uh-see-an). The word means to be indifferent or lukewarm, especially in matters of politics or religion. Kavya calmly wrote out Laodicean on her palm before spelling it aloud, as she had done with every word before it. And, as she had done with every word before it, Kavya nailed it. A wide grin stretched across her face as the audience erupted in cheers. Tears of triumph trickled down her cheeks while her parents and younger sister showered her with hugs.

Last Speller Standing
The final spelldown began on Tuesday with a written test. A total of 293 champion spellers participated in the competition, a record high in the event's 82 years. Contestants ranged in age from 9 to 15. They came from all over the country and from around the world. The finals aired Thursday night on ABC.

After 12 rounds, Kavya faced off against Aishwarya Pastapur, 13, of Springfield, Illinois, and Tim Ruiter, 12, of Centreville, Virginia. Aishwarya was stumped in Round 15 by the word menhir (men-heer), which is a standing stone monument. Tim missed the word maecenas (mee-see-nuhs), meaning a generous patron or supporter of the arts.

Then there was only Kavya. It was the eighth-grader's fourth appearance at the Bee. In previous years, she has placed tenth, eighth and fourth. Persistence pays. As the last speller standing, Kavya received more than $40,000 in cash and prizes and an engraved golden trophy. "I can't believe it happened," she said. "It feels kind of unreal."
Bee Season

Spelling competitions have gained popularity in recent years. This is thanks in part to extra attention given to it by films, such as 2006's Akeelah and the Bee and the 2002 Oscar-nominated documentary Spellbound, which followed eight 1999 Bee contenders. Spelling contests also got a musical rendition on Broadway with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show won two Tony Awards in 2005.

Kavya credits Spellbound as the inspiration behind her spelling career. The eighth-grader says her role model is 1999 Bee winner Nupur Lala, who was featured in the documentary. Now, Kavya is a champion speller too. "This is the moment we've been waiting for," said her father and spelling coach, Mirle Shivashankar. "It's a dream come true."

Kavya, who attends California Trail Junior High School, is retiring from spelling competitions after this year. Mirle says his daughter may enter the science-based Brain Bee contest. That would be a fitting choice since Kavya wants to be a brain surgeon one day. Still, she says, "I don't think anything can replace spelling. It has been such a big part of my life."

There must be a lot of pressure during a national spelling bee.
Have you ever been in a spelling bee? If so, how was it? Would you do it again?
If not, how do you think you would do? Would you want to be in a spelling bee?