Justine Tchouaffe, a student at St. John the Evangelist School, was named the 2008 national fourth-grade winner in the National Handwriting Contest sponsored by Zaner-Bloser Educational Publishers. She was the state first-grade handwriting winner in 2005.

Tchouaffe competed against state winners nationwide for the title of national champion selected for each grade level, one to eight. A grand national champion will be selected from all national winners.

St. John the Evangelist School has had a state winner of the Zaner-Bloser Contest each year for the past five years. An SJE student was the national third-grade winner in 2000.

For the past 17 years, Zaner-Bloser, the leading publisher of handwriting materials, has sponsored the National Handwriting Contest to emphasize the importance of developing good handwriting skills. This year, more than 177,000 students participated in the contest nationwide.

“Handwriting instruction improves students’ overall performance in reading comprehension and writing skills. Students who write with speed and legibility perform better in testing situations. Students who write legibly feel good about themselves and have an increased academic confidence,” said Dennis Williams, national product manager for Zaner-Bloser.

State winners, their teachers, and school principals receive beautifully engraved wood pens, a special award certificate and a $50 gift certificate for Zaner-Bloser learning materials.

Each national winner receives a Nintendo DS/Brain Age game package, a $500 savings bond, special award certificate and T-shirts for their classmates, teachers and family. Each winner’s school receives a $100 gift certificate for Zaner-Bloser learning materials.

St. John the Evangelist School is located at 240 Arnold St., Hapeville.