Fourteen students from Louisiana are part of an elite group of elementary and middle school students across the country who have made a name for themselves as some of the best handwriters in America. These students are the 2009 state winners of the 18th annual Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest.

Westwood Elementary's Christa Page emerged as a superior fourth grade student from about 200,000 entries representing grades 1-8 across the country. Entries were judged on the printing skills of first and second graders, and the cursive abilities of students in grades 2 through 8.
State winners were selected by a panel of professional handwriting experts. All statewide winners will next pit their entries against each other in their respective grade level to compete for national honors. Ultimately, one of the national grade-level winners will be named as the Grand National Champion. The teacher of the Grand National Champion also gets rewarded with a trip for two to Washington, DC.

The contest is completely free of charge. Students can be named as a grade-level winner, a state winner, a national winner, or the Grand National Champion. Each entries is judged on shape, slant, spacing and size. Complete contest information and materials can be found at
www.zaner-bloser.com by clicking on the National Handwriting Contest icon on the home page.
Zaner-Bloser Educational Publishers is the nation's leading publisher of handwriting programs for students in grades K-8. ZB has assisted in the learning process of students in handwriting, spelling, reading, and language arts for more than 117 years.