Writing South Carolina Volume 8

The Honors College is proud to showcase selections from the 8th annual South Carolina High School Writing Contest. Featuring submissions from high school juniors and seniors from across the state, the works are edited by Honors students from our SCHC 384 course.

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

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.

South Carolina Honors College