LOCAL STUDENTS EMERGE AS WINNERS IN PBS SOCAL’S PBS KIDS GO! WRITERS CONTEST
COSTA MESA, Calif. (May 14, 2013) – PBS SoCaL has announced the local winners of the annual PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest. The contest is designed for kids in kindergarten through third grade to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on active learning, creative essay writing and illustrating. PBS SoCaL chose the top stories from each grade level to compete in the national competition.
This year’s local winners are:
1st Place - Kindergarten: “Hard Working Dad's Day” by Thejana Jayathilake of Rowland Heights, Calif.
1st Place - First Grade: “The Lambs Band” by Lia Berkovich of Los Angeles, Calif.
1st Place - Second Grade: “The Brave Swan” by Alexis Jude of Irvine, Calif.
1st Place - Third Grade: “The Fight for Hope” by Nils-Henrik Fuertes of Costa Mesa, Calif.
2nd Place - Kindergarten: “Mitten's Big Ocean Adventure” by Chloe Kim of Encino, Calif.
2nd Place - First Grade: “The Adventures of Lilly” by Indie Hoffman of Costa Mesa, Calif.
2nd Place - Second Grade: “After the Rain, the Rainbow” by Kate Jang of Los Angeles, Calif.
2nd Place - Third Grade: “Ollich” by Hassan Nejmeldeen of Corona, Calif.
3rd Place - Kindergarten: “Dinosaurs Come Back to Earth” by Zachary Encarnacion of Brea, Calif.
3rd Place - First Grade: “The Trap!” by Jackson Macias of Costa Mesa, Calif.
3rd Place - Second Grade: “Fish and Shark Become Friends” by Avalon Blumenthal of Pasadena, Calif.
3rd Place - Third Grade: “The Super Dinosaur & the Hot Chocolate” by Arnav Verma of Aliso Viejo, Calif.
A special award for the most creative use of PBS content was awarded to Kindergartener Zach Piedad of Irvine for “The Fox Who Was Lost”.
Winners are invited to a special awards ceremony at the PBS SoCaL studio located in the South Coast Metro Business Area on Tuesday, May 21 where they will be awarded certificates and prizes for their writing efforts.
A panel of America's foremost children's authors, illustrators and content experts will serve as honorary judges for the National PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest. Honorary judges include Lisa Henson, Chief Executive Officer of The Jim Henson Company; Jeff Kinney, New York Times bestselling author; Kate Klimo, Vice President and Publisher of the Random House/Golden Books Group; Jarrett Krosoczka, Two-time winner of the Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year in the Children’s Choice Book Awards; Susan Meddaugh, Author and illustrator of Martha Speaks; and R.L. Stine, one of the best-selling children's authors in history.
About PBS SoCaL
PBS SoCaL, formerly KOCE-TV, is Southern California’s PBS station dedicated to interactively educating, entertaining, and enlightening the greater Los Angeles area. With its three unique broadcast channels. PBS SoCaL HD, PBS OC, and WORLD TV, PBS SoCaL provides award-winning programs like Frontline, NewsHour, NOVA, Nature, and Masterpiece, as well as local productions Real Orange, SoCaL Insider With Rick Reiff, and Bookmark With Maria Hall-Brown. Through community outreach initiatives including PBS SoCaL Education, PBS SoCaL provides local schools access to new media materials that engage students in 21st century learning. Explore the future of PBS in Southern California at www.pbssocal.org.
