Rocky Mount School Produces Prized Pupil of Penmanship

Alex Kurpinsky can be called the prince of proper penmanship. He knows when it looks right.

"I would proofread it. That means you check over it," Kurpinsky says.

This is the third year in a row that a student fromRocky Mount Academyhas taken the best-in-the-state award for first grade.

"We try to make it as much fun as possible and that appeals to children at this age, especially," says teacher Ann Cobb. "Once they learn to listen and follow directions, it's really quite easy."

Zaner-Bloser Publishing, the educational company that gives out the national penmanship award, says handwriting is important even in this electronic age.

"College applications are requiring students to write in their own handwriting," says Brenda Kirkman of Zaner-Bloser Publishing. "We're always filling out applications, so we need handwriting all the time."

Cobb says the first step to proper penmanship is to have enough spacing for words. She recommends one finger's width between words.

Cobb also says to slow down. Most adult handwriting is scratched out too quickly. She says everyone can improve if they take a little more time and maybe a little more pride in the written word.