WAHS student Addie Johnson wins inaugural Strong Men & Women in South Carolina History Writing Contest
from Staff Reports
Dominion Energy and the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) have selected five winners in each of the state’s regions for the inaugural Strong Men & Women in S.C. History student writing contest.
West Ashley High School student Addie Johnson won the Lowcountry region. Other winners include Braylon Ratcliff, Spring Valley High School (Midlands Region), Carter Lanier, Silver Bluff High School (CRSA Region), Imunique Herriott, HCS Early College High School (Pee Dee Region), and Mishka Richards, Indian Land High School (Upstate Region)
“Dominion Energy applauds all high school students who took an interest and made the time to participate in our writing contest, and we extend a special congratulations to those whose essays rose to the top,” said Rodney Blevins, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina. “It is encouraging to see our next generation of leaders express their thoughts about causes as important as social justice and racial equity.”
“We commend the high school juniors and seniors who carefully researched and crafted highly competitive essays for this year’s student writing contest,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “A special congratulations goes out to Addie, Braylon, Carter, Imunique, and Mishka for their award winning submissions.”
Participating high school juniors and seniors submitted a 500-word essay describing what social justice means to them, how a lack of social justice throughout American history has affected minority communities and what actions they can take in support of social justice.
Volunteer judges, including employees from Dominion Energy, selected the five winners from more than 100 contest entries.
Each student will receive an Apple MacBook Air laptop and $1,000 for their school. In addition, these winners will be invited to participate in the unveiling ceremony of the 2022 African American History Calendar this fall.
