Entries are being accepted for the 2007 Wade Edwards Short Fiction Award. The award is given annually to three North Carolina high school juniors who submit outstanding original short fiction.

The competition rewards excellence in creative writing and encourages contemplation of virtues associated with Wade Edwards: humility, strength of convictions, loyalty, honor, charity, determination, the value of family and the obligations of friendship and community. Wade was a high school student who died at age 16. His father is former U.S. Sen. John Edwards.

The first-place winner gets a $5,000 scholarship. The student's English department gets $2,000. Second place is a $2,000 scholarship, and third place is a $1,000.

The entries, from 500 to 10,000 words, are due March 1. Entries can be submitted to Steven Killion. For more information contact Killion at 856-9355 or skillion@wade.org or see the Wade Edwards Learning Lab Web site at www.wade.org/shortfic.htm.

A guiding light in Wake

North Carolina's Elementary School Guidance Counselor of the Year is from Wake County.

Dee Bostick, counselor at Baileywick Road Elementary in North Raleigh since 1997, recently received the award from the N.C. School Counselor Association. She was the Wake County school system's elementary school counselor of the year.

Students and staff at Baileywick honored her Monday with "We Love Dee Bostick" time. Bostick and Baileywick Principal Scott Scheuer walked through the building as students stood outside their classrooms to show their appreciation. Each class presented her with a flower.

St. Thomas More

St. Thomas More Academy was named one of the 50 top secondary schools in America by the Catholic High School Honor Roll.

The Honor Roll recognizes schools that "best maintain high academic standards, uphold their Catholic identities and prepare students to actively engage the world." In addition to the overall ranking, St. Thomas More ranked in the group's top 25 for academic excellence.

St. Thomas More, in North Raleigh, is an independent Catholic school founded by businessman Bob Luddy with the approval of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Raleigh.

Principals of the year

Several districts recently announced the local winners of the Principal of the Year Award.

In Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Deshera Mack of Rashkis Elementary School won the award. Mack has led Rashkis since its opening in 2002. She also received the honor in 1996 and 2000 during her time at Seawell Elementary.

In Orange County, Gary Thornburg, principal of Cedar Ridge High School, received the top honor. Thornburg became principal of Cedar Ridge in June of last year, coming from the Alamance-Burlington school system's Williams High School, where he was named that district's Principal of the Year for 2000.

Robin Herridge, principal of Selma Elementary, won the award in her district. Herridge has worked in the Johnston County school system since 1998. She taught for four years and worked as a principal fellow, intern and assistant principal at Selma before becoming principal.

Eric C. Bracy, principal of Pearsontown Elementary School, was previously announced as the winner of the award in Durham. Jamee Lynch of Hodge Road Elementary was named Wake County's Principal of the Year. All winners are now eligible to win the regional Principal of the Year award sponsored by Wachovia.