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 22 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: The Curriculum My Brother Deserves - Kaylen Pritchard
Second Place: Train Tracks Splitting the Town in Two - Jack Ross
Third Place: Blue-Capped Future - Kit Moore
Honorable Mention: The Holes We've Dug - Liam Quan
Argumentative Essays
Ignorance or Arrogance? - Michael Adolf
How to Improve the State of South Carolina: Protect the Coastline - Clare Baker
A Resident’s Ramble and Hopes: To Improve South Carolina - Amya Brewer
Look Around - Chas Brown
The Struggle for Help in South Carolina - Caz Kopf
Erin’s Law in South Carolina Schools - Faith Williams
Personal Essays
Brain Drain - Maggie Aufmuth
State Quilt - Addie-Grace Cook
Small - Bella Cosentino
The Five Ws - Emily Hines
Southern Charm - Sydney Lee
Blacktops, Kudzu, and Other Symbols of Change - Kate Martin
Poetry
I Once Loved It Here - Elizabeth Thompson
the inside of an empty church - Sophie Turansky
Satire
Education’s Invisible Hand: South Carolina’s Panacea - Elijah Lawson
A Modest Proposal for South Carolina - Jimmy Ruskell
Short Stories
We Never Saw It Coming … - George Clarke
A Cloud over the Sun - Lorelei Morgane
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 (Marybeth Evans, chair); and the South Carolina Writers Association (Kasie Whitener, president). We also thank Ray McManus, grand judge for this year’s contest, and the many high school guidance counselors and teachers who encouraged students to submit. The students in the fall 2021 semester of SCHC 384, Finding Your Voice: Writing and Editing for Life, were the first editors of volume 9. They are Lexi Anunson, Kelly Buchan, Brendan Cullen, Hope Dominique, Abby Druckenmiller, Kat Favre, Makayla Hooker, Liam Martin, Mitt Patel, Hanna Schatteman, Lindsay Schultz, Caroline Tapp, and Caitlin Twitty.