DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A MacArthur High School graduate was awarded the 2024 National Children’s Literature (K-3) Competition at the National Educators Rising Conference.
Jade Flournoy won the national competition with her book “The Lonely Liger”.
“I saw the third and second, and I’m like ‘wow, I’m not sure I’m going to make it’, but then my name was announced, and it was crazy,” she said.
Flournoy had a love for drawing and art from a young age. At the beginning of her senior year, a teacher approached her about the competition. After thinking about it, Flournoy finished drawing and writing her book.
“I like to make people happy with what I do. So, I think that that’s a passion I want to do. I want to create art for people to feel something, but particularly joy.”
In the spring, Jade entered her book in a statewide competition and won. Her work went on to the national competition where she placed first.
“We come from a sports family. I had kids that played sports and excelled. But we now have a national champion. I’ve never had a national champion of any sort, in the family. And for it to be in the area field of academics and literature, it leaves me speechless,” said Jason Flournoy, Jade’s father.
Jade plans to attend Columbia in Chicago and major in illustration.
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