Junior and senior high school students in South Carolina can participate in Dominion Energy and the South Carolina Department of Education’s (SCDE) fourth annual Strong Men & Women in S.C. History essay contest. Winners will receive an Apple MacBook Air and $1,000 for their school or home schooling association.
The program builds on SCDE’s longstanding South Carolina African American History Calendar that honors prominent African Americans in the state who have made noteworthy contributions.
This year’s essay is inspired by historic South Carolinian Mary McLeod Bethune, a renowned educator and civil rights activist from Mayesville, whose legacy of educational entrepreneurship and literacy has made a lasting impact on individuals across the Palmetto State. Bethune once said, “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.” Students are asked to write about an African American person from South Carolina who has positively impacted their educational journey.
“The South Carolina Department of Education is thrilled to continue our partnership with Dominion Energy in this initiative,” said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. “Mary McLeod Bethune is one the many great South Carolinians who changed our nation for the better. We cannot wait to read the stories of those keeping her legacy alive by inspiring, challenging and guiding our young writers.”
Winning students will have the opportunity to participate in the 2025 African American History Calendar unveiling ceremony. Their essays also will be showcased on the Dominion Energy and SCDE websites.
“Each year, our partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education gives voice to a new generation of leaders as they reflect on our state’s most celebrated voices from generations past,” said Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina. “Educational programs such as this offer valuable reminders to honor the heroic resolve of these historic icons as we look forward to a brighter future for our students and our great state.”
Dominion Energy and a panel of teachers will serve as judges and choose a winning essay from each of South Carolina’s five regions: Midlands, Upstate, Lowcountry, Pee Dee and Central Savannah River Area (CSRA).
Essay contest timeline:
Entrants must be a high school junior or senior at a public or private high school in South Carolina. Home-schoolers with an active, dues-paying membership to a home schooling association are also eligible. The $1,000 school award can be applied to a home schooling association. Learn more and enter the essay contest by visiting https://
About the South Carolina African American History Calendar
For the past 35 years, the South Carolina Department of Education and its statewide partners have produced the South Carolina African American History Calendar. An idea that initially was created to help bolster the state’s K-12 African American history curriculum, the calendar profiles individuals who have had positive, compelling impacts on South Carolina and, often, our entire nation.
About Dominion Energy
About 7 million customers in 15 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to providing reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy every day and to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.
For further information: Jason Raven, jwraven@ed.sc.gov, 803-734-1976, Ashley Cunningham, ashley.cunningham@
