2017 Bruce E. Konkle Rising Star

Amanda Hajji, Cat’s Paw yearbook, Lexington HS

Best in State Literary Magazine

Voices, Nation Ford HS

Best in State Yearbook

Reflections, Mauldin HS

Most Improved Literary Magazine

The Outlet, Wando HS

Most Improved Yearbook

Highlander, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School

Literary Magazine Evaluations

• Honor – Thoughts in Time, Boiling Springs HS
• Honor – The Final Draft, James Island Charter HS
• Superior – Revelations, Dutch Fork HS
• Superior – Visions, Northwestern HS
• Superior – Calliope, South Aiken HS
• Superior – Impulse, South Pointe HS
• Superior – First Circle, Spartanburg HS
• All-State – Voices, Nation Ford HS
• All-State – Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
• All-State – The Outlet, Wando HS

Yearbook Evaluations

Class 1

• Honor – Excalibur, Camden Military Academy
• Honor – Wolverine, East Clarendon MS-HS
• Honor – The Highlander, Heathwood Hall
• Superior – The Compass, Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach
• Superior – The Prowl, Stover MS
• All-State – Cougar Pride, Pleasant Hill MS

Palmetto Award – Class 1 – Cougar Pride, Pleasant Hill MS

Class 2

• Honor – The Traveler, Travelers Rest HS
• Honor – Wrenicycle, Wren HS
• Superior – Panorama, Chapman HS
• Superior – Gilbertine, Gilbert HS
• All-State – Swansean, Swansea HS

Palmetto Award – Class 2 – Swansean, Swansea HS

Class 3

• Honor – The Ford, Nation Ford HS
• Honor – The Equestrian, South Pointe HS
• Superior – Aurea Aquila, Eastside HS
• Superior – Borealis, Westwood HS
• All-State – The Archive, Richland Northeast HS

Palmetto Award – Class 3 – The Archive, Richland Northeast HS

Class 4

• Honor – The Chief, Socastee HS
• Superior – The Iliad, James Island Charter HS
• Superior – Kaleidoscope, Lugoff-Elgin HS
• All-State – Sakamow, Riverside HS

Palmetto Award – Class 4 – Sakamow, Riverside HS

Class 5

• Superior – Legacy, Dutch Fork HS
• Superior – Talismann, JL Mann HS
• Superior – Cat’s Paw, Lexington HS
• Superior – The Tributary, River Bluff HS
• Superior – Saga, Spartanburg HS

Palmetto Award – Class 5 – Legacy, Dutch Fork HS

Class 6

• Honor – Aeneid, Northwestern HS
• Superior – Souvenirs, James F. Byrnes HS
• Superior – The Green Wave, Summerville HS
• All-State – Reflections, Mauldin HS
• All-State – Legend, Wando HS

Palmetto Award – Class 6 – Reflections, Mauldin HS

2017 Fall Photography Contest

The artist’s passionate heart is bellowed out in one harmonious note.

• 1st – Patrick Baird, Summerville HS

During an intense rivalry game, students came and packed the stands to watch the intense game. Jessica Blackburn, a player on the junior varsity volleyball team, joined the crowd and cheered on the team. “It was a great environment, I have never seen so many people excited to see a volleyball game, it was an amazing experience,” Jessica said.

• 2nd – Kelsey Turner, Lexington HS

With seconds left on the clock, we are about to beat Camden, our rival, for the first time since 2010. We have one more play left until we are the new champions of “The battle across the river”. This is the moment it all comes down to, the moment we’ve been waiting on for years now, this is the new us, this is Lugoff-Elgin.

• 3rd  – Rachel Sims, Lugoff-Elgin HS

Literary Magazine Individual Competition

Best Art

• 1st – Desmond Morrison, Visions, Northwestern HS
  Judge’s comments: Rich colors and various textures within the painting.  Upward lines of eyelashes show movement and subject’s determination to open the eyes that appear to be locked together.

• 2nd – Liesl Juell, Voices, Nation Ford HS
  Judge’s comments: Distinct lines that make the coat come to life suggesting a fur like quality. Hair is realistic. The contrasting red on her cheeks draws eye to it questioning what is happening. Expression of subject’s face is one that can be read many ways.

• 3rd – Jeanne-Marie Martin, The Outlet, Wando HS
  Judge’s comments: Strong colors.  Circular design of hair or headpiece stands out and moves eye upward.  Nice contrast of the gold lines.  Collage pieces of the face fit together nicely creating a realistic face.

Best Article (nonfiction)

• 1st – Madelyne Levassiur, Voices, Nation Ford HS
  Judge’s comments: Excellent use of research.  Effective academic writing. Well organized.
• 2nd – Ellen Kettlewell, Impulse, South Pointe HS
  Judge’s comments: Excellent use of research and voice. Effective arguments and well organized.
• 3rd – Makenna Christensen, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
  Judge’s comments: Smooth transitions. Good student perspective. Addition of opinion on human body is mature.

Best Cover

• 1st – Justin McGuirl, Voices, Nation Ford HS
  Judge’s comments: Strong art piece that resembles a lion roaring with the red hair and lips.  Art suggests the idea of inferno with the open mouth screaming.  School information is clear on the cover.

• 2nd – Caroline Williamson, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
  Judge’s comments: Excellent colors that blend together well.  Cover suggests the idea of the theme of supernova.  Typography of supernova fits theme.  School information is clear.

• 3rd – Sara Hart and Layne Barron, The Outlet, Wando HS
  Judge’s comments: Red spot color the theme stands out and catches the color of the red rose.  Photo suggests subject is waiting for someone special to present the roses.  It invites the reader into the rose garden.  School information is clear.

Best Photograph

• 1st – Matthew Cao, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
  Judge’s comments: Great focus and clarity. Composition is spot on. Photo tells a story without needing a face.

• 2nd – Jessica Kozodoy, Thoughts in Time, Boiling Springs HS
  Judge’s comments: Wonderful play of light, dark and grays. Rule of thirds is slightly off but it works.

• 3rd – Katelyn Helms, Visions, Northwestern HS
  Judge’s comments: Colors, depth of field and rule of thirds create a beautifully composed photo.

Best Poem

• 1st – Timiya Carter, Visions, Northwestern HS
  Judge’s comments: This poem has strong concrete imagery, effective line breaks, and good alliteration that creates a strong rhythm. Great to read aloud too.
• 2nd – Samantha McNeil, Voices, Nation Ford HS
  Judge’s comments: This poem uses strong diction “pewter clouds” “Creamsicle Sunrise.” It presents a concise story with a beginning, middle, and ending. The message is clear to the reader at the end.
• 3rd – Asia Jones, Revelations, Dutch Fork HS
  Judge’s comments: This poem uses a creative format, contains good juxtaposition of ideas, and the personas are strong.

Best Review

• 1st – Gracie Boyce, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
  Judge’s comments: Places work in context with author’s other writings and compares/contrasts it to similar types of novels. Written in first person but doesn’t overuse “I.” Great flow in writing and analysis.
• 2nd – Kate Leland, Visions, Northwestern HS
  Judge’s comments: Analyzes every part of the show – good and bad. Compares to other contemporary musicals and identifies main characters/actors. Flow in writing needs some work but good job!
• 3rd – Emily Fancett, Revelations, Dutch Fork HS
  Judge’s comments: Great discussion of soundtrack and how it plays a role in the action/experience of the film, something often overlooked in film reviews. Work on transitions and flow and continue to be as astute as the soundtrack paragraph.

Best Short Story

• 1st – Sydny Long, Voices, Nation Ford HS
  Judge’s comments: This contains a very descriptive setting with defined characters. The dialogue and diction are strong.  The plot is effective.
• 2nd – Gracie Boyce, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
  Judge’s comments: This has a mysterious setting.  The first-person narrative is effective of the character’s thought process.  The charm bracelet is a good symbol.
• 3rd – Adelle Lacy, The Outlet, Wando HS
  Judge’s comments: Has an honest voice with mature ideas. Strong message at the end. Doesn’t sugar coat topic of love.

Best Spread Design

• 1st – Gracie Boyce, Ellie Pobis and Caroline Williamson, Psyche, Richland Northeast HS
  Judge’s comments: Clear full-sized photo for spread. Strong focal point of guitar center. Poem is easy to read. Effective spot color.

• 2nd – Oonagh Kelly and Isabelle Burgin, Impulse, South Pointe HS
  Judge’s comments: Art creates good eye-line directly into essay. Colors complement each other and work well with font. Simple yet elegant.

• 3rd – Kat Stiles, Voices, Nation Ford HS
  Judge’s comments: Soothing blue background. Art conveys science as in the title. Columns arranged well.  Effective typography.

Yearbook Individual Competition

Best Candid Photo

• 1st – Nath Kapoor, Aurea Aquila, Eastside HS

• 2nd – Sara Beaver, Iliad, James Island Charter HS

• 3rd – Maddie Manke, Legend, Wando HS

Best Cover

• 1st – Allison Killinger and Kelly Lifchez, The Archive, Richland Northeast HS

• 2nd – Des Armstrong and Sophie Winnick, Legend, Wando HS

• 3rd – Alli Roberts, Reflections, Mauldin HS

Best Feature Copy

• 1st – May Nguyen, Legend, Wando HS
• 2nd – Alli Roberts, Reflections, Mauldin HS
• 3rd – Grace Ann Martin, Cat’s Paw, Lexington HS

Best Feature Photo

• 1st – Frank Jeffries, Legend, Wando HS

• 2nd – Ashlee Miller, Swansean, Swansea HS

• 3rd – Samantha Bucknam, Cougar Pride, Pleasant Hill MS

Best Sports Photo

• 1st – Nathan Warner, Legend, Wando HS

• 2nd – Izzy Jeffcoat, Cougar Pride, Pleasant Hill MS

• 3rd – Hallie Ridings, Panorama, Chapman HS

Best Spread Design

• 1st – Dawson Smith and Alli Roberts, Reflections, Mauldin HS

• 2nd – Allison Killinger, The Archive, Richland Northeast HS

• 3rd – Anna Perryman, Legend, Wando HS

Best Theme Development

• 1st – Reflections, Mauldin HS
• 2nd – Swansean, Swansea HS
• 3rd – Talismann, J.L. Mann HS