COLUMBIA -- Seventy fifth-graders and 67 eighth-grade students have been honored as this year's district winners in the State Superintendent's Writing Award program.

The purpose of the program is to support the teaching of South Carolina's academic standards and provide fifth- and eighth-grade students an opportunity to express themselves through the writing process.

District winners were selected from class and school winners by a panel of readers. The 2008-09 writing prompts focused on the topic of financial literacy. The fifth-grade essay topic was: "Discuss how saving contributes to financial well-being. Do you think it is important to start saving at your current age? Why or why not?"

Eighth-grade writers had this topic to consider: "Think about the current economic crisis in our country. Why is it important that every individual be responsible for personal financial decisions? How can you start learning financial responsibility at your age?"

Essays are judged on their content and development, organization, vocabulary and phrasing, and on the writer's command of grammar, capitalization, punctuation and spelling.

Fifth-grade winners from The T&D Region were Teretta Nimmons, Richard Carroll Elementary School, Bamberg School District 1; Lauren Jamison, Denmark-Olar Elementary School, Bamberg School District 2; Kathleen Nicole Coker, Sandy Run Elementary School, Calhoun School District; Ehime Ohue, Elloree Elementary School, Orangeburg School District 3; Autumn Carter, Lockett Elementary School, Orangeburg School District 4; and Roneisha Hart, Brookdale Elementary School, Orangeburg School District 5.

Eighth-grade winners from the region were Ryan Brooks, Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School, Bamberg School District 1; Jakenya Lachanza Johnson, John Ford Middle School, Calhoun School District; Deion Jamison, Holly Hill-Roberts Middle School, Orangeburg School District 3; Alexis Blevins, Carver-Edisto Middle School, Orangeburg School District 4; and Bernard Mack, Bethune-Bowman Middle/High School, Orangeburg School District 5.

The program was formerly conducted by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, but was sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Education for the first time this year.

Dr. Jim Rex, state superintendent of education, and Dr. Valerie Harrison, deputy superintendent for the division of standards and learning, presented district winner with a plaque at a recent awards ceremony. District winners were also invited to participate in a summer writing institute June 23 at Irmo Middle School.

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