Jamie Harris, a senior at OneidaHigh School, won a $1,000 scholarship to RoaneState Community College during a "texting contest" on Thursday, Jan. 31 atthe college's Oak Ridge Campus.

Roane State, U.S. Cellular andStar 102.1 FM sponsored the contest. Eight area high school seniors competed bydancing text messages on two large U.S. Cellular "Text, Text Revolution"phones. Students submitted entries for the contest in early January, and thefinalists were selected by random drawings.

"I really appreciate thescholarship," said Harris, whose parents are Jim and Brenda Harris. "That moneywill help a lot with going to school. The contest was a lot of fun."

Harris said he is interested inRoane State's nursing program.

"My mom is a nurse, and I am ina class right now to be a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)," Harris said. "Ijust really like getting to help people."

Lynsey Nail, a senior at StoneMemorial High School, was the runner-up.

The contestants competedhead-to-head. The "Text, Text Revolution" phones' large screens flashed simplequestions - such as "what color is grass?" - and potential answers. Contestantsused their feet to key in the correct answer. The phones will not allow acompetitor to enter an incorrect choice.

The competitor who "danced" theanswer the fastest won. In the head-to-head matches, the competitor who wasfaster on two out of three questions advanced to the next round. Harris out-steppedNail in the finals.

Harris and Nail won new U.S.Cellular phones, three months of free service from U.S. Cellular, and a prizepack that included a T-shirt, a phone case and other items. The $1,000 scholarshipwas made possible by the Roane State Foundation.

Each contestant received aRoane State tote bag full of prizes from Star 102.1 FM, U.S. Cellular and RoaneState.

In addition to Harris and Nail,the contestants were Jada Halburnt, Oliver Springs High School; Ashley Howard,Lenoir City High School; Kacey Mynatt, Halls High School; Britteny Randolph,Clarkrange High School; Amber Workman, Oak Ridge High School; and ElizabethWright, Campbell County Comprehensive High School.

Halburnt and Wright were theother two semifinalists. Contestant Meghan McWhorter of Wartburg Central HighSchool was unable to attend because of a traffic tie-up that delayed her whileshe was traveling to the event.

Roane State students NadeemAbbasi and Drew Irons served as the masters of ceremony.