First-grader awarded for excellence in print handwriting in national contest

Julieta Brusco practices her printing during class. 

Raul Altamirano, Incarnate Word Academy
 

Julieta Brusco, a first-grader at Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi was chosen as the grand national grade-level champion in the 2017 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest. She was honored at a school assembly on May 12.

Julieta was one of nine students in kindergarten through eighth grade to earn the distinction of grand national grade-level champion, meaning she had the best print writing among all first-grade entries. Students who compete come from both public and private schools from across the country who use the Zaner-Bloser handwriting and/or reading curriculum.

The Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest, now in its 26th year, recognizes students from kindergarten through eighth grade for handwriting excellence. Students in kindergarten through second grade submit manuscript–or print–entries, while students in third through eighth grades submit cursive entries.

All students are required to write the sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” because it contains every letter of the alphabet. Judges select winners based on the Zaner-Bloser Keys to Legibility: shape, size, spacing and slant.

Incarnate Word Academy President Sammy Grunwald presents first grader Julieta Brusco, with a trophy and a check. Julieta was honored at a school assembly on May 12 for her excellence in print handwriting.  Raul Altamirano , Incarnate Word Academy

Participating schools hold handwriting competitions and select grade-level winners. Grade-level winners advance to state competitions, where judges select a public and private grade-level winner for each state. From there, judges select 18 public and private national grade-level semifinalists. The nine grand national grade-level champions are chosen from the group of semifinalists.

Zaner-Bloser sponsors the contest each year for schools that use its handwriting resources and Superkids Reading Program. The company estimates that more than four million students have participated in the contest through its 26-year history.

“The process of writing out letters plays a vital role in spelling, reading, writing, mathematics and motor skills development, so we want to encourage the teaching of both print and cursive handwriting,” said Lesa Scott, president of Zaner-Bloser. “Research shows that learning and using handwriting impacts students’ overall literacy development. We’re very proud to honor these students and their schools for their commitment to handwriting as a solid foundation for academic success.”

Each grand national grade-level champion earns a trophy, a check for $500 and educational materials for their school valued at $1,000. In addition, the teacher of each grand national grade-level champion is awarded with a trip to the International Literacy Association Annual Conference in July.