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Contest Results:
Winning Student Essays Chosen for Letters About Literature 2006 Letters About Literature Essayists Honored at Capitol Author Hans Wilhelm Addressed Winners and Finalists This year, the national essay contest, Letters About Literature, inspired more than 1400 students from Connecticut’s elementary, middle, and high schools to write a letter to an author—living or deceased—explaining how that author’s work somehow changed the student’s life. Most of the state’s 131 winners and finalists were at the Capitol for their awards ceremony on Friday, June 2. Billie M. Levy, Connecticut Center for the Book Advisory Council Chairperson, presented awards and certificates. Every finalist received a certificate of achievement from the Connecticut Center for the Book. First Place winners also received $100, a $50 Target GiftCard, and a certificate signed by John Cole, director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress; Second and Third Place winners received $50 and $25, respectively. Winners’ essays and a list of all finalists will be posted on the Connecticut Center for the Book Web site at www.hplct.org/cfb.htm. This year’s prizes went to: LEVEL I 1st Place, Amy Tomasso: West Woods Upper Elementary School, Farmington Essay 2nd Place, Azhanaé Oliver: Sedgwick Middle School, West Hartford Essay 3rd Place, Micaela Carswell: King Philip Middle School, West Hartford Essay
LEVEL II 1st Place, Sophia Harrington: Sedgwick Middle School, West Hartford Essay 2nd Place, Mary Kathleen Schulman: Fairfield Woods Middle School, Fairfield Essay 3rd Place, Tamanna Hossin: Worthington Hooker School, New Haven Essay
LEVEL III 1st Place, Lauren Hefferon: Chase Collegiate School, Waterbury Essay 2nd Place, Alex Lucyk: Conard High School, West Hartford Essay 3rd Place, Peggy Larcom: New Fairfield High School, New Fairfield Essay Westport author Hans Wilhelm enthralled the audience of students, parents, and teachers with an account of the dream deferred in his life: he decided as an adolescent that he wanted to write and illustrate children’s books for a living, but did not indulge that passion until much later in life when he finally willed himself to do so. Young members of the audience were urged to be true to their inner feelings and to follow their dreams. Wilhelm has written more than 200 children’s books and currently has more than 35 million books in print in twenty languages. Closing remarks were made by Louise Blalock, Chief Librarian of Hartford Public Library, who reminded the audience that books may give us pleasure or information, but they are most valuable when they help us gain personal insight. Now in its twenty-third year, Letters About Literature is promoted by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores and sponsored by the Connecticut Center for the Book at Hartford Public Library. Teachers have welcomed the reading and writing competition as a valuable classroom project because it meets many standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. Entry forms for the 2007 contest will be available at www.hplct.org/cfb.htm in late summer. Target, along with its parent company Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), gives back more than $2 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs. The mission of the Connecticut Center for the Book is to celebrate books, writers and readers who engender and sustain the life of the imagination and to highlight authors, illustrators, printers and the literary heritage of the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut Center for the Book is an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Hartford Public Library provides strategic programs that respond to citizens’ real needs and interests. The library offers programs for parenting, literacy and language development; programs for technical literacy and competency; and programs for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Hartford Public Library also provides a cultural and artistic forum that reflects the city’s diverse and vibrant community. The Library has 650,000 visits each year. For more information call (860) 695-6295.
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