Bright and strong, the tall goldenrod is South Carolina’s state wildflower. We think Solidago altissima also represents our state’s best young writers. Here are 21 of them, each of whom – in the midst of a global pandemic – composed an original response to our annual question, “How can we make South Carolina better?” Read on and take heart. These writers are bright and strong indeed.
Winners
First Place: I Will Always Be a Product of South Carolina Public Schools - Lucia Stevick-Brown
Second Place: Seven Hundred and Fifty Words - Amanda Murphy
Third Place (tie): Making South Carolina Better for All - Shahd Abdeladl
Third Place (tie): Stop me if you've heard this one - Aiden Wood
Argumentative Essays
Too Late for the Carolina Parakeet - Sophia Cox
Teachers: The Key to Statewide Progress - Emily Gray
Play It Again South Carolina - Aiden Gavin Johnson
The Silent Killer - Angela Levasseur
Letters
Dear SC, Consider This ... - Haya Kidwai
Three Wishes for an Old Friend: A Letter to South Carolina - Sarah Nelson
Let Our Students Succeed - Maggie Nolen
The Day I Felt My Air Taken from Me - Bryanna Warner
Personal Essays
If These Walls Could Talk - Oliver Abar
Acceptance: The Path to Improvement - Taylor Cook
Forests of Brick and Vinyl - Carolyn Christopher
So What’s the Problem Here, Anyway? - Angel Huang
“Nihao” and “Konichiwa” - Winnie Zheng
Poetry
An Ode to the New Cut - Cassidy Lewis
Roots - Maya Pai
What a Country Boy Does - Ned Walpole
My Dearest South Carolina - Alisa Yvonne Wharton
Acknowledgments
The annual South Carolina High School Writing Contest wouldn’t be possible without other individuals and organizations. We thank South Carolina Honors College alumnus Thad Westbrook, the Pat Conroy Literary Center (Jonathan Haupt, executive director); the South Carolina State Library (Leesa Aiken, director); South Carolina Academy of Authors (Ray McManus, chair); and the South Carolina Writers Association (Kasie Whitener, director/1st vice president, partnerships). We also thank Jonathan Haupt, grand judge for this year’s contest, and the many high school guidance counselors and teachers who encouraged students to submit.