First Place State Winner in

During an evening set aside for special recognition of talented writers in M.S.A.D. # 6, tribute was paid to the very special accomplishment achieved by a 4th grade GATES (Gifted And Talented Educational Services) student in Mrs. Terry Shortsleeve’s class at H.B. Emery Jr. Memorial School, Caroline G.! Caroline seized an opportunity to participate in the Letters About Literature Contest last fall. This is a national reading and writing promotion program organized by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores. In Maine, the contest is sponsored by the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book at the Maine Humanities Council. The contest format involved choosing a book that had been important to a student, and writing a letter to its author explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s way of thinking about the world or themself. Students mailed their entries to the national Letters About Literature headquarters by a December deadline for preliminary screening. Semi-finalists were identified in February, and sent back to each state, where they were judged by a panel of esteemed Maine educators and community leaders. Karen Baldacci was one of the judges for the Maine semi-finalists. There were three levels for participants: Level I - grades 4 - 6; Level II - grades 7 - 8; and Level III - grades 9 - 12.

Caroline wrote a letter to Roderick Townley, author of The Great Good Thing, and was named first place state winner in Level I - grades 4 - 6. This was a great and impressive honor for Caroline, her parents, H.B. Emery School, and M.S.A.D. # 6. The entry she submitted to the Letters About Literature Contest was shared at the District Writing Contest Tea.