While most kids can swipe before they can write, seven Richmond County elementary school students just proved the ancient art of cursive penmanship isn’t completely obsolete. The Georgia Department of Education has recognized these schools in its inaugural John Hancock Award program, celebrating excellence in teaching students to write in something other than emoji.
✏️ What We Know: Four Richmond County schools – Bayvale, Belair, Goshen and McBean elementary schools – earned the top-tier Ribbon of Distinction. This honor required 90 percent of students to write both their names and the entire preamble to the U.S. Constitution in cursive. Three additional schools – Hephzibah, Lake Forest Hills and Richmond Hill Elementary – received the Proficiency Ribbon for teaching 90 percent of students to at least sign their names with flourish.
👩🏫 Who Made It Happen: The recognition stems from dedicated teachers who refused to let cursive join the dinosaurs and rotary phones in extinction. Schools submitted student work samples that impressed a panel of judges who apparently still remember what cursive looks like.
🧠 Why It Matters: The award program aligns with Georgia’s new English Language Arts standards approved in May 2023, which will make cursive instruction mandatory for grades three through five starting in the 2025-2026 school year. These seven schools are ahead of the curve.
🏆 What’s Next: Richmond County’s seven honorees stand among the elite few selected from more than 300 schools that applied statewide. As Georgia implements its new standards next year, these schools will likely serve as models for others.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
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