This year, over 600 Shelby County Schools’ first through eighth graders diligently practiced their keyboarding skills in hopes of being named to their school’s 2017 Keyboarding Challenge team. Only the top 10 typists at each grade level per school made the ‘cut’ and a chance to win $6,000 in technology for their school.

Shelby County’s Technology Department began the contest in 2016 in order to revive student interest in good keyboarding skills. “Regardless of new technologies, there is a lot of value in being able to type quickly and accurately.  For one thing, It saves time in proofreading and correcting errors. It also helps students complete writing assignments more quickly and with less effort,” said Susan Poling, Technology Coordinator. “The contest gives students and schools an extra incentive to put some time and effort into developing this skill. Put in that context, many students find it to be fun, not work.”

Participation, which is voluntary, rose dramatically from last year.  “The results this year were even more impressive than last year,” said Angela Clark, a system technology coach who oversees the contest each year. “These students and their KC Coaches are all to be commended.”

Helena Intermediate fifth-grade student, Dean Hartkopf typed an average 77.5 WPM and was the fastest among all students in all the grades in Shelby County.

“I believe practice makes perfect, and if you believe in yourself, you can do it!” says Hartkopf who also won last year as the fastest fourth-grader.

“This year the typing challenge was a great experience for all of our students,” said Penny Walker, Helena Intermediate’s Keyboarding Challenge coordinator for the second year. “I really noticed each student challenging themselves to reach goals and get better in their typing skills. It is so rewarding to see students setting personal goals and achieving them.”

Heather Stafford, the coordinator for the Chelsea Middle School team, said the challenge brought out their competitive spirit and was a great lesson in managing anxiety.  She noted one benefit to the students was that they were able to see how proper typing form saves time and improves the quality of their work.

All students who participated in the contest received a certificate of participation and McDonald’s dessert card. Students on the winning teams received a lighted bouncy ball to recognize their effort. The fastest typists in each grade across the district were rewarded with a special gift and certificate.  Special thanks to the Shelby County Education Foundation and Riverside Technologies, Inc. for helping provide prizes for the students.

Fastest Typists per Grade across the District were:

8th Grade – Rachel Moore, Chelsea Middle (66 AWPM)

7th Grade – Madeline Larkin, Chelsea Middle (72 AWPM)

6th Grade – Khalia Lee, Columbiana Middle (61 AWPM)

5th Grade – Dean Hartkopf, Helena Intermediate (77.5 AWPM)**

4th Grade – My Nguyen, Oak Mountain Intermediate (62.5 AWPM)

3rd Grade – Chloe Statham, Chelsea Park Elementary (46 AWPM)

2nd Grade – Brandon Shin, Mt. Laurel Elementary (35 AWPM)

1st Grade – Anna Dollar, Chelsea Park Elementary (19 AWPM)

Winning team members include:

Chelsea Middle School Team

8^th grade

James Beasley, Ava Bosshart, Tyler Erwin, Taylor Gentle, Mark Gordon, Brianna Hamer, Amanda Jordan, Cole Kennedy, Cameron Knecht, Leah McCartha, Jacob McManus, and Rachel Moore

7^th grade

Avery Burleson, Emily Carroll, Lilly Dong, Abigail Griffith, Kinlee Ingram, Madeline Larkin, Kristopher McAnally, Marin McCulla, Kaetlyn Morris, Taylor Riley, and Emily Trawick

6^th grade

Katie  Brasher, Adason Britt, Kaden Cook, Kayleigh Gibson, Tiffany  Jiang, Jackson Kirk, Reagin Miles Lagman, Sela Lovette, Ava McCartha, Ian Ripple, and Keira White

Oak Mountain Middle School Team

5^th grade

Noland Austin, Samantha Bennett, Chloe Black, Ilysia Conti, Whit Fletcher, Nathaniel Handler, David Huynh, Romina Lopez Jimenez, Baily Nelems, Evan Peng, Ashton Perry, and Grayson Rogan

4^th grade

Elizabeth Butler, Trevin Chamblee, Nille Gabutan, O’Shun Hardy, Lily Head, Ashley Hughes, Luke Jovanovich, Aiden Moriya, My Nguyen, Maggie Norris, Zachary Oddo, and Abigail Smith

Chelsea Park Elementary Team

3^rd grade

Cohen Ainsworth, Patrick Bennett, TyLeigh Cason, Pratul Danasekar, Alywren Davis, Aidan Givens, Langston Harris, Ashton Hudson, Lucas Miller, Chloe Statham, Laura Stephenson , and Lana Yousif

2^nd grade

Samuel Abbott, Addison Adams, Katie Allen, Jaiden Balint, Ian Finney, Aiden Greer, Gunter Harmon, Jaxon Hughes, Warren Johnson, Charles Madden, Hunter Smith, and Samuel Stewart

1^st grade

Camden Ainsworth, Kaiden Alexander, Jackson Campbell, Anna Dollar, Eva Keel, Eduardo Marquez, Kyndal Rucker, Shawn Rumsey, Bronnor Sanders, Keaden Sims, Daisy Statham, and Joshua Yang