RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Henrico County eighth-grader is buzzing his way to the national stage after bringing home the gold at the regional spelling bee competition earlier this week. Taran Shivkumar from Moody Middle School claimed first place on Tuesday at the 52nd annual Richmond Regional Spel ling Bee. He outlasted 27 competitors from across Central Virginia, becoming the last speller standing at the Richmond Raceway. The winning word: "escarole." Alongside the title, Shivkumar will also take home a $1,500 scholarship, a dictionary and the championship trophy. The middle schooler was previously crowned champion of his school division's spelling bee contest. He defeated students from elementary and middle schools across Henrico County in February after finishing in second place last year. Shivkumar will face off against the country's best student spellers at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. The championship will take place from May 26 to May 28. ...read more read less