By Crystal R. Albers
calbers@torringtontelegram.com
GOSHEN COUNTY – “It’s not just a pretty face – cursive goes far beyond that,” LaGrange teacher Charlene Meier told school board members and attendees at a special meeting Tuesday evening.
Touting the writing style’s ability to develop literacy skills and more, Meier introduced third grader Ashley Kauffman and Walker Carson, fourth grade, both state cursive champions at their respective levels in the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest. Sixth grader Shiloh Carson, she said, had taken the competition one step further and was the official Grand National Champion for cursive.
Meier explained cursive hadn’t been taught at LaGrange for several years, until last year, when a group of parents requested the school resume classes on the subject.
“It averaged out to only 15 minutes a day teaching it,” Meier said. “In the fall, I told the children Zaner-Bloser had a national handwriting contest … and asked how many of them would like to participate. What I didn’t tell them is over a quarter of a million students across the United States enter that contest. So, from August until February, we practiced, practiced, practiced.”
In February, 14 students, grades 3 through 6, decided to enter the contest.
GCSD No. 1 Director of Curriculum Donna Fields and Meier judged the local entries, selecting one student from each grade (no fifth grade students entered), to compete statewide.
“First, Zaner-Bloser sent a certificate saying they entered the contest,” Meier said. “In about a month, we heard Ashley Kauffman … Walker Carson and Shiloh Carson all three took the state at their level. So then their entries went off again to be judged more strenuously at the national level. Lo and behold, a month later, we heard Shiloh Carson is our Grand National U.S. Cursive Champion.”
As Grand National Champion, Carson received a $500 check, along with a large trophy.
“My handwriting can me a better reader and writer because I can read special documents,” Carson penned in her entry. “Studies have shown that cursive can make me better at math. This is important because it cane help me in the future.”
LaGrange schools also received $2,200 in vouchers for Zaner-Bloser products due to the students’ success, and Meier, as the teacher of a Grand National Champion, has the opportunity to attend a national convention in either Texas or Nevada.
“I will be furthering education in literacy because of Shiloh,” she said.
The board congratulated the students and Meier on their hard work and accomplishments.
