North Lenoir High sophomore wins top prize in national essay contest By Patrick Holmes Lenoir County Public Schools A 10th grader at North Lenoir High School has won national recognition and a college scholarship for an essay she wrote in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Shyaé Hood of Kinston was one of four grand prize winners of the 2020 Suddenlink Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest honored in a virtual ceremony Wednesday night and awarded a $1,500 scholarship. She is the first-ever winner from North Carolina. The contest – sponsored by Altice USA and Univision – awarded top prizes to two high school and two middle school students and runner-up awards to a dozen students nationally. The high school competition drew about 165 essays from students in 18 states, according to contest sponsors.