Callyn Wright, Layken Lyon and Preston Ballentine. Photo provided

Cascades Verdae, a local retirement community, announced May 4 it has awarded $3,750 in tuition assistance to three Upstate high school seniors who won its 10th Annual Silver Pen essay competition.

The winners, who were chosen by a panel of judges, include:

  • Layken Lyon of Christ Church Episcopal School – First place, $2,500
  • Preston Ballentine of Southside Christian School – Second place, $750
  • Callyn Wright of Wade Hampton High School – Third place, $500

Each winner’s submission had to focus on topics such as:

  • Do you feel like owning a cell phone has made a positive or negative impact on today’s world?
  • Do you believe cell phones have created an improvement in communication or created more disconnect between people?

“Members at Cascades Verdae form The Silver Pen Committee,” said Cascades Verdae Executive Director Corey Hoots. “They play an essential role during this competition as they oversee the essay topic selection, evaluating the submissions and awarding the three prizes.”

Since the competition began 10 years ago, it has awarded more than $386,000 to students for college and trade school expenses. For more information, visit silverpen-slc.com.

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