Students in north India will have a chance to test their spelling mettle in the third annual Spelling Bee competition sponsored by the US Embassy’s American Center in New Delhi which kicks off at St. Columba’s School on Tuesday. A second round will be held at Amity in Gurgaon on November 23, with a third round in Chandigarh on, December 7. The best spellers from each round will meet for the Final Bee to be held at the American Center in January 2010.<br/>AIR correspondent reports more than 50 schools are expected to participate in this year’s event. Spelling bees are an enduring educational tradition in the United States. In 2009, the winner was a 13-year-old Indian American, Kavya Shivshankar, who won the Bee after she correctly spelled laodicean. Eight Indian-Americans have now won the title, including 6 in the past 10 years.<br/><br/>