STUDENTS EARN WRITING HONORS

Kea Scheffer and Jeff Riley, students at St. Mary Cathedral School in Cape Girardeau, and Tessy Paikeday, a student at Central High School, were among 27 young writers honored at the ninth annual Southeast Missouri Writing Achievement Awards ceremony.

The ceremony was held on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University recently.

"This program was initiated in 1982 by the university's department of English as a means of recognizing the importance of writing skills in the development of an educated person," said Linda Burns, English professor.

"The Writing Achievement Awards program is designed to encourage students in grades four through 12 in their writing and to recognize some of the best student writers in the state and their schools," she said.

This year, 428 students from 82 schools in the Southeast Missouri area participated in the Writing Achievement Awards program. Awards and honorable mentions were presented to writers of fiction, essays and poetry in three grade ranges: grades four through six; grades seven through nine; and grades 10-12.

The winning entries were published in booklet form and copies were presented to the winners and their schools. In addition, all award winners received certificates and T-shirts.

Scheffer was an award winner in the grades four through six poetry division. Riley was recognized for his winning entry in the grades seven through nine poetry division. Paikeday was an award winner in the grades 10-12 essay writing category.