July 2, 2007VOL. 45, NO. 13Oakland, CA

Young authors show their talents

Elementary school students who took on the roles of poets, family biographers and mystery writers were recognized for their creativity at the 15th Young Authors Faire at St. Mary School in Walnut Creek on May 12.

Students from 25 elementary schools across the diocese from Holy Rosary in Antioch to St. Joseph in Fremont participated in the literary event, which was created by local educators to encourage and nurture young writers.

Among the prize-winning entries were Savannah Robinson, a 7th grader at St. Philip Neri School in Alameda, whose book “Extinction is Forever, Endangered Means There is Still Time,” focuses on the battle facing many animal species today, and Jasmine Scott, a 2nd grader from Holy Rosary School in Antioch, who explored her inner Nancy Drew in “The Mystery of the Purple Underwear,” a story of a young girl who plays detective to find out how the purple underwear wound up on the flagpole.

Since its inception, the Young Authors Faire has provided a forum where young people who enjoy writing and telling stories can “strut their stuff,” said David Scholz, a teacher at St. Philip Neri School in Alameda, who served as a judge at this year’s event.

Schotz, who read books by students in grades three and four, said the overall quality of the submissions was “very good.”

The entries reflected a diversity of experiences and life journeys, said Julie Clement, a teacher at Holy Rosary School in Antioch who judged the works of 7th graders. “In some cases the stories are coming out of kids’ exploration of their faith, putting together information from grade level curriculum in book format, or just stretching their journalistic wings,” she said.

“Kids have stories to tell,” added Linda Knox, principal at All Saints School in Hayward and one of the original organizers of the Faire. “We love seeing them put that together and nurturing the fact that they want to write those stories.”

The books are evaluated by a panel of educators and administrators from schools who participate in the faire. The judges read books from a grade level they do not teach. The entries are judged on content, organization, writing style, mechanics and presentation. If there is what Knox called a “standout” book, it is chosen as a grand prize winner for that grade level.

This year’s grand prize winners are: the pre-kindergarten class at St. Mary, Walnut Creek; the kindergarten class at St. Felicitas, San Leandro; Abigail Rose Norris, first grade, Holy Rosary, Antioch; the third grade class at St. Raymond, Dublin; Sophie Brown, fifth grade, St. Perpetua, Lafayette; Michael Plaisance, sixth grade, St. Philip Neri, Alameda; and Ava Alders, seventh grade, St. Joseph, Alameda.

The book faire gives sstudents the chance to not only build their writing skills but also to develop life skills. “This is no easy task, and students know it when they are finished,” said Scholz. “Having completed a book for Young Authors amid meeting all of their other academic obligations, students know they can take on most anything.”

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