MAINTAINING attractive, legible handwriting might seem obsolete in a world dominated by computers.
But Lauryn Fazenbaker, an 11-year-old pupil at Charles Carroll Elementary School, knows otherwise. Her proper penmanship recently won state-level recognition from Zaner-Bloser, the nation's leading publisher of handwriting texts.
"If I wrote sloppy, no one would know what I had to say, if I had something really important to say," said Lauryn, who will receive a $500 savings bond, an engraved pen and an award plaque for her achievement.
Her writing sample, which was submitted by her fifth-grade teacher, Linda Yingling, will be evaluated by the company's master penman in a nationwide competition.
"I don't know how she found out about the competition," Lauryn said of Yingling. "But she made all of us practice and then entered us into the contest."
Lauryn, who has received high marks for her neat handwriting since learning script in third grade, was required to write her full name, copy a sentence provided by Zaner-Bloser and add a sentence of her own for the competition.
Her personal sentence was, "Slant, shape and size are three things you need to have good cursive handwriting."
"Out of as many entries as there were, I wasn't sure if I would win or not," said Lauryn, adding that her family was very excited about her achievement. "Mom said when she called Dad he had a smile on his face for an hour."
United in prayer
People interested in pursuing spiritual solutions to community problems are invited to a Christian prayer gathering tomorrow at Westminster Church of God on Lucabaugh Mill Road.
The program of prayer is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m.
Information: 410-876-4150 or 410-795-5147.
Amy L. Miller's Central neighborhood column appears each Monday in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.
