Four high school students earn MSU literary awards

Contact: Maridith Geuder

High school students from Hinds, Lowndes, Rankin, and Warren counties are taking honors in a Mississippi State University literary competition.

The Jack H. White Literary Competition is sponsored annually by the Honors Council of the University Honors Program. Now in its second year, the competition is named for the MSU English professor who has headed the state's largest honors program since 1984.

This year's judges included English department faculty members Richard Lyons, Gary Myers, Kathlene Postma, and James Wilcox.

The 2000 winners include (by hometown):

BRANDON--Conner Perkins, a junior at Jackson Preparatory School, runner-up for a short story titled "Poppies."

COLUMBUS--Alyda Hardy, a senior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, first place for a short story titled "The Bathroom Shift."

JACKSON--Maya Weilundemo [547 Warrior Trail, 39216], a senior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, first place for a poem titled "Rain and the River."

VICKSBURG--Eric Weisemann, a sophomore at All Saints Episcopal School, runner-up for a poem titled "Us Men."