Zaner-Bloser, the language arts and reading company, named Immaculate Heart of Mary School student Zachary Sutter the second-grade Georgia Handwriting Champion as well as the second-grade Grand National Handwriting Champion.

This title means Zachary’s handwriting is the best in the nation among second-grade students. Zachary is one of nine students to hold the Grand National Grade-Level Champion title.

Zaner-Bloser also named IHM student Marley Lentine-Brown as the seventh-grade Georgia Handwriting Champion. She received an award and a certificate.

Over 300,000 entries in grades kindergarten through eighth grade were considered.

Zachary received a certificate, a trophy and a check for $1,000. In addition his teacher, Ruthie Patch, received a trip to an International Reading Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

All participating schools held their own handwriting contests, for entries in both manuscript and cursive, and entered the winning students in grades K-8 into the national contest. Students advanced to become state winners in their grade, and those winners then competed against each other to become the public school and private school national grade-level semifinalists. The 18 national grade-level semifinalists competed to become one of nine grand national grade-level champions. Judges based all contest entries on the Zaner-Bloser keys to legibility: size, shape, spacing and slant.