The write way

By Meredith Hines-Dochterman

WAUKON - Sophie Halverson is the queen of cursive.

The East Elementary School fourth-grader was recently named the Grand National Champion in the fourth-grade division of the Zaner-Bloser 21st Annual National Handwriting Contest.

“I'm amazed,” Sophie, 10, says. “I never thought I'd be a state winner.”

The annual contest encourages legible handwriting by testing the handwriting abilities of students in first through eighth grade. There is one Grand National Champion for each grade.

Students must attend schools that use Zaner-Bloser Handwriting curricula in order to enter the competition.

“I get a lot of grief from my fellow administrators who don't understand why we still teach handwriting,” Principal Ann Hart says.

School staff often point students to cursive handwriting's historical reference in the days of computers and texting.

“At the beginning of the year, we talk about the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and how they are written in cursive,” fourth grade teacher Thea Thies says. “We tell the kids they can't read these historical documents if they can't read cursive handwriting.”

“We want them to leave our school with a well-rounded education,” Hart adds.

It's working. To date, East has had seven state handwriting winners and three national winners.

This year, East produced two state winners - Sophie in the fourth-grade student category and Leslie Halverson in the fifth-grade category.

Sophie is the school's first Grand National Champion.

“We're extremely proud of her, especially when you put into context how many students entered the contest,” says Greg Halverson, Sophie's dad.

Sophie's handwriting sample was selected from more than 325,000 student entries.

All Grand National Champions - one for each grade - receive a trophy and $1,000.

Sophie also received $250 as one of 16 National Grade Level Winners. Two national winners were selected at each grade level; one student representing public schools and the other representing private schools.

“The first question she asked was ‘How much do I get to spend?'” Deanna Halverson, Sophie's mom, says with a laugh.

Sophie's victory resulted in prizes for the school, too. East Elementary will receive $1,000 worth of Zaner-Bloser educational materials and Thies received a trip to the International Reading Association's annual convention in Chicago.

“Cursive handwriting is just something we should all know how to do,” Sophie says. “It's faster to write in cursive than print. Most adults use cursive, so it's good to be able to read what they write.”