Columbia -- Wednesday morning, Lt. Governor Bob Peeler
presented the 1996 Lt. Governor's writing awards to fifth and eighth graders from across
the state in a morning ceremony at Godbold Auditorium on the Columbia College Campus.
Students representing each of the 46 counties in both public and private schools competed
in this years contest. Out of over 110,000 participants, 204 students were selected as
winners.
Peeler praised the award winning students for their exceptional writing skills. "You have demonstrated a unique ability to communicate creatively through the written word. And as our society becomes increasingly communications oriented you will find these skills more and more valuable each day."
Each participating class submitted three winning compositions and one school winner was selected for each grade to be judged in the area competition. Judging panels representing parents, teachers, and the business community selected the winners.
The writing awards program was begun during the administration of Lt. Governor Nancy Stevenson to encourage students to express themselves through an essay competition. Because of the success of the program, every lieutenant governor since that time has continued it.
Last year, Peeler opened the competition to private schools to give all South Carolina fifth and eighth graders a chance to participate. This year Peeler announced another new addition. For the first time, award winners will have the opportunity to attend a three day, tuition-free summer writers workshop. Peeler told the students, "You have proven yourselves excellent writers, and I am thrilled to join Columbia College in offering you the opportunity to hone and develop your abilities at the first annual Lt. Governor's Summer Writers Workshop."
Topics for this year's competition included: "Write a letter to a person who has made a difference in your life", "Name one issue you would most like to discuss with the Presidential candidates and why", "What qualities do you find important in selecting a friend" , "Choose your favorite character from a book and make up a story about that character" as well as several others.
Peeler concluded the ceremony by saluting the 1996 winners, "Your skills and your words speak for themselves. I'm proud to be your Lt. Governor and I look forward to seeing you and reading more of your writing come this summer."