Governor Jim Hodges congratulates the seven winners of his Spring 2002 statewide Middle School Reading Challenge. In January Governor Hodges kicked off the semester-long challenge by sending five books to every middle school in South Carolina. On a voluntary basis, students submitted written responses on the featured books to the statewide competition.

The featured titles for the Spring 2002 Challenge included: Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, donated by Candlewick Press

• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, donated by Scholastic Inc.
• Redwall by Brian Jacques, donated by Penguin Putnam
• You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? by Jean Fritz, donated by Penguin Putnam

Three students’ responses were selected by a panel of judges to be the merit-based winners. They are in random order as follows:

Sarah Payne, Greenville Middle Academy, Greenville
Sponsoring Teacher Catherine Walters

Ellison Sharpe, Hand Middle School, Columbia
Sponsoring Teacher Helen Schell

Chris Scanlon, Hillcrest Middle School, Simpsonville
Sponsoring Teacher Donna Hayes

Four participating students’ names were drawn from a hat to determine the sorting-hat winners. They are in random order as follows:

Anastasia Cooper, Beaufort Middle School, Beaufort
Sponsoring Teacher Victoria Mix

Logan Clendenin, Sims Junior High School, Union
Sponsoring Teacher Dale Anthony

Ben Ross, Fulmer Middle School, Lexington
Sponsoring Teacher Christie Cook

Dustin Gravley, Walhalla Middle School, Oconee
Sponsoring Teacher Pam Hughes