Ask Cumberland County students what makes North Carolina great and you’ll get a lot of answers.
It’s the mountains, the beaches, NASCAR and Putt Putt. It’s Michael Jordan, Clay Aiken, Blackbeard and yes, even Kellie Pickler, the Tar Heel state’s latest “American Idol’�?reject.
Finalists in this year’s Cumberland County elementary and middle school civic oration contest described the glories of North Carolina to a panel of judges in the county competition Friday. Madeline Russell, a sixth-grader at Max Abbott Middle School, took first place. She will compete via video in the national competition, which is sponsored by the Modern Woodmen of America.