Students from The Academy for Civic Engagement at Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary School are the winners of the South Carolina Bar Law Related Education Project Citizen Showcase.

The school's portfolio, "Styrofoam is Whack, Plastic is Back," addressed discontinuing use of Styrofoam lunch trays and instead using existing plastic reusable lunch trays to reduce waste in landfills.

The portfolio was judged April 7 at the S.C. Bar Building.

This is the first year that The Academy for Civic Engagement has participated in the Project Citizen State Showcase.

The students' work will advance to the National Conference of State Legislatures and for display in the national showcase July 20- 24 in Philadelphia.

Students participating include YeJi Bang, Houston Bennett, Ryan Cain, Ainsley Cherubin, Mark Duroux, John Dwyer, Elijah Eubanks, Katherine Grant, Kristina Grant, Justin Green, Jekima Hibbert, Taelore Hicks, Caleb Hughes, William Jacobs, Semaj Kelly, Fauzan Khan, Njeri McDaniels, Justin Owen, Taylor Ramsue, La- Joye Whatley, and Devin Wood. Teachers coaches were Courtney Long and Dawn Smith.

These students presented their project during an in- school competition prior to entering into the state showcase.

Key members in the audience included Dr. Stephen Hefner, superintendent; Charlene Herring, chief academic officer; Dan Neal, school board officer; Val Hutchinson, city council woman; Elaine Delk, executive director of community relations; and Mary Paige Boyce, social studies curriculum coordinator.

Project Citizen encourages students to research a public policy they believe should be revised or created.

For additional information on Project Citizen and other law related education programs supported by the S.C. Bar Law Related Education Division, contact Cynthia Cothran at 252-5139 or ccothran @scbar.org.