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 </figure>Kansas Press AssociationThe best spellers in 74 counties competed in the Sunflower State Spelling Bee, sponsored by ITC, KICA, Cox Communications and the Kansas Press Association on Friday. This year’s bee was 100 percent online using the Scripps National Spelling Bee platform.&nbsp;Seventy-five students across Kansas were registered to compete in Friday’s oral spell down, which included spelling and vocabulary.&nbsp;The 2021 Sunflower State Spelling Bee was a combination of 25 spelling words and 25 vocabulary words. Ishya Bhavsar, Grade 8, from Johnson County correctly answered 49 out of a possible 50.Niko&nbsp;Tsereteli, a third-grader at O'Loughlin Elementary, placed fourth.Ishya will represent Kansas in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Orlando, Florida later this year. &nbsp;<figure>
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Hays third-grader places fourth in Sunflower Spelling Bee