Each year, Thomas County students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade participate in the Georgia National Fair's Fair Bear Writing Competition.  Students compete at the school level, and first place winners from each grade compete at the state level.    

The annual competition asks students to write a story about an American black bear who lived from 1980-1993 in Middle Georgia near the Georgia National Fairgrounds.  The bear’s path often involved crossing 1-75 where it met its tragic death in 1993.  It was immortalized as the Georgia National Fair’s mascot and has been the subject of their writing competition since 1994.

This year’s topic was “Fair Bear Launches Into Space” where students were asked to write a story describing Fair Bear's entry into a contest to travel into space.  Students were to describe Fair bear’s feeling when he is announced the winner, training he must undergo, and finally things he experiences and sees while in space. 

Ava Mares from fifth grade and Emma Reeves from sixth grade will compete at the state competition.  State-level winners will be announced in April, 2021.