Thirty-eight South Carolina public school students and six adult educators have been chosen as winners in a poetry and poster contest held annually by the National Career Development Association and the Office of Career and Technology Education at the South Carolina Department of Education.
Local state-level winners included:
Poetry
Middle (grades 6-8): Third place – Taylor Tarte, Lake View Middle School, Dillon District 1
Open adult: Third place- Miranda Manning, East Elementary School, Dillon District 2
Traditional Poster
Open Adult: First place- Amanda Burdin, Dillon District 1
These winners advance to the national finals, where Palmetto State entrants have fared well in recent years. In 2010 the state had 19 winners at the national level, according to Ray Davis, education associate for career guidance.
The contest accepts entries of original poetry or artwork emphasizing a theme of career development. The theme this year was “Celebrating My Career Dreams.” Davis said the competition provides students with hands-on exposure to arts and literature careers. It drew more than 10,000 entries statewide.
Competition is based on six divisions – primary, intermediate, middle, senior, adult student and open adult. There are two poster categories – one for the standard use of ink, pencil and poster paints, and the second for posters produced using photos, clip art or graphic art software/mixed media.
Each state winner receives a print and art calendar from South Carolina artist Jim Harrison of Denmark. Poetry winners will have their poems bound and printed. Sun Printing, an international printing company with a facility in West Columbia, will donate 6,500 posters displaying national winners.