An essay about current trends in economic crime netted a $500 scholarship for a Grade 9 student at St. Michael School Junior High.

Stephanie Paslawski was presented Friday with one of two Sidney Bloxom $500 scholarships sponsored by the Saskatchewan chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Paslawski heard about the essay contest put on by the association through her teacher, and then did extensive research on topics such as debit card fraud and other areas of economic crime.

The contest was open to students from Grade 9-12, so Stephanie's essay beat out many older students, noted St. Michael principal Denis Tremblay, adding that the school congratulates Paslawski on her achievement.

The Bloxom scholarship s named for Inspector Sidney Bloxom, the officer in charge of the commercial crime program in Saskatchewan and overseer of the Regina and Saskatoon commercial crime sections of the RCMP.

Bloxom, who passed away in 2003, believed strongly in the role of the Saskatchewan chapter in educating and making the public aware of economic crime.