by Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Needham Free Public Library and the Needham Public School Library hosted the 3rd Annual K-12 Needham Community Writing Contest reception and awards ceremony on Thursday, February 27, at NFPL. Student writers, their parents, and their siblings packed into the Community Room to celebrate the winners and recognize everyone who had submitted a story or a poem to the contest.
Entries were accepted from students of all ages, Pre-K to Grade 12. The theme of this year’s contest was “Sidekicks.” Each short story or poem submitted had to address the theme, in whichever way the writer chose to interpret it. No entry could be longer than 1,000 words.
Erin Basset, the Young Adult Librarian at NFPL, and Paige Rowe, a Librarian at the Needham High School Library, organized and judged the writing contest, along with several other helpers. Both librarians were there at the ceremony to congratulate the winners. Each of the forty-five students who entered the writing contest proudly walked up to the prize table to receive a certificate recognizing their participation and a goodie bag.
The Grand Prize / Category Prize winners’ names and the titles of their pieces follow. Each of these students was awarded with an extra goodie bag and a $30 gift card for Wellesley Books.
PreK-2nd Grade Winner - Ellora Mathew for "The Sidekick's Secret"
3rd-5th Grade Winner - Myra Shah for "A Letter From Your Pencil"
6th-8th Grade Winner - Jayden Benson for "The Hydra"
9th-12th Grade Winner - Kiera McCafferty for “Shadower”
Poetry, Elementary Level (PreK-5th Grade) Winner - Zohra Baqri for "By Everyone's Side"
Poetry, Secondary Level (6th-12th Grade) Winner - Leah Liao for "A Silent Voice"
Each of fifteen Superlative winners received a $5 gift card to Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Treat Cupcake Bar, or Cookie Monstah.
After the awards were distributed, everyone eagerly got in line for a delicious ice cream treat covered with rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream. The students also had the opportunity to look over colorfun stickers and buttons that were available for them to take home.
