Essay Contest Winners Announced
MAY 2, 2013, CONTEST UPDATE: Congratulations to the San Carlos Library’s 16th Annual City-wide Library Student Essay Contest Grand Prize Winners Caroline Beail, 4th grader at Dailard Elementary and Bailey Pinto, 10th grader at PHHS. Each received a new laptop computer from Computers 2 SD Kids, $75 from FSDPL, and mementoes presented by the San Diego City Council and FSDPL. We also had two prize winning semi-finalists: Anngely Leeds from the Learning Choice Academy, and Isabelle Pinto from Pershing Middle School. All of the submitted essays were impressive. We congratulate the students, parents and teaching staffs and thank the contest sponsors for their support. The author of the best overall essay was awarded a special prize of $500 in memory of contest originators, Jack and Carolyn Winer. Jack was a Past-President of FSDPL &SCFOL. Seventeen years ago San Carlos resident Jack Winer envisioned the essay contest as a vehicle to encourage young people to read, write, and think. We think his goal was accomplished. Thank you Jack!
On February 5, the library sparkled with anticipation and congratulatory balloons as parents, teachers, local dignitaries and students crowded into the main room of the San Carlos Library to hear the essays authored by this year’s eleven local winners of the Friends of the Library’s 16th Annual Student Writing for Literacy Library Essay Contest.
The 94 entrants represented 4th graders from Benchley Weinberger, Dailard, and Green Elementary schools, 8th graders from Pershing Middle School, and 10th graders from Patrick Henry High School. The Learning Choice Academy also participated. We wish to thank all of the students (they’re all winners), their families, principals, teachers and librarians for the time they took to prepare for and enter this year’s contest. Our awesome San Carlos winners and their (teachers) are:
4th graders: Jacob Cogan, Avery Taller, and Gianna May, Benchley-Weinberger Elementary (Kathryn Aufsesser & Kim Filner); Caroline Beail* and Emily Escalante, Dailard Elementary (Erin Keegan & Jackie Deckman); Spencer Rose, Green Elementary (Jennifer Andrew). 8th graders: Isabelle Pinto*, Pershing Middle School (Linda Carroll); Not shown, Anngely Leeds*, The Learning Choice Academy (Cherokee Eddy). 10th graders: Bailey Pinto* and Jacob King from PHHS (Andrew Myette); Not shown, Anthony Leeds, The Learning Choice Academy (Katherine Leonard). Those marked with an * were chosen to compete at the city-wide contest level.
The essays covered many diverse and interesting books –from Hunger Games to The Bible–making the job of choosing “the best” out of 94 great essays not an easy task for this year’s judges who were Flora Hogins, Patricia Woodall, Dan Yelvington, and Barbara Woodall. Our thanks go to them and a special cheer to Barbara who also chaired this year’s contest. We also wish to thank our corporate sponsors: Friends of the San Diego Public Library, San Diego Public Library, San Diego Unified School District Library Media Teachers, KPBS, Lloyd pest Control, and Computers 2 SD Kids (C2SDK).
All 94 students received participation certificates. The eleven local winners also received an impressive commendation certificate from the S.D. City-Council (thank you Councilmember Scott Sherman and our area representative-presenter Jon Staab) and a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble (thank you Friends). City-wide winners at each grade level will be announced at the award ceremony to be held on May 2, 2013, at the Balboa Park Club. Top prizewinners will receive a monetary award and a laptop computer (thank you C2SDK).
