Urbana School District Celebrates Young Authors
The Urbana School District is always on the lookout for good young writers. In April, District 116 hosted the 30th annual Young Authors Celebration at Eastland Suites. Students (grades K-8) submitted writing entries and were nominated to attend the celebration by a special committee in his or her school building. Superintendent Dr. Preston L. Williams, Jr., presented a certificate to each student for taking part in the Young Authors Celebration.
The top stories from each school this year were announced at the workshop. They are:
The day featured writing workshops, breakout sessions, a keynote address by storyteller Linda Gorham, and a dramatic interpretation of young author stories. Gorham had the kids (and adults!) participating in her stories, and she also told the students that if they can write, they can do anything.
"The whole day is about getting kids motivated to write, getting kids excited about writing, and celebrating their own writing," says Alexis Jones, coordinator of the Young Authors Celebration. "The day is so much fun. There are a lot of students who come back year after year … and they keep writing. When I was a classroom teacher, I found that the kids would go back and tell the other kids at the school about all the fun they had, and I think that helps other kids want to start writing more," Jones adds.
The school district will choose five young authors to go on to the state level and participate in the state writing competition May 17.
Young Authors is partially funded by the Title V Grant Program, the Title I Grant Program, and the Illinois Arts Council.