Laurel Lundin-Burger, a fifth grade student at Lawrence Virtual School, will compete against other virtual students across the country and overseas this week in the K12 International Spelling Bee.

Monte Westfall, assistant principal at the school, said Laurel qualified for the event by winning first place in the LVS competition, and then third place in a regional competition that included students from Kansas, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.

The competition is sponsored by K12, Inc., the private, for-profit company that supplies the curriculum used at LVS. He said at least one student from Dubai will also compete, making this year’s event an international competition.

Westfall said the competition will take place online, but each student participating must have a non-family member present to serve as a proctor during the competition.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday.