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Adults, teens, children win prizes in Summer Reading Program

Adults, teens and children were able to express their creativity and win prizes during the Newport News Public Library System’s 2009 Summer Reading Program.

Gwendolyn Boyce won the grand prize of two tickets to a performance at the Ferguson Center for the Arts and dinner for two at Outback Steakhouse in the 2009 Adult Summer Reading Program.

Adults, teens and children were able to express their creativity and win prizes during the Newport News Public Library System’s 2009 Summer Reading Program.

Children and teens won prizes based on the number of minutes they read. One hundred and thirteen teens participated in the program with events such as tie-dyeing, board games, movies, and Wii games. At Grissom Library, they also could enter an art contest for a chance to win prizes.

Programs on crafts, cartoons, animals, outdoor games, yoga, magic, writing, and more kept kids busy, and 521 children received a prize. Adults could enter a prize drawing for each book they read and attend programs on cake designing, painting pottery and concerts. Prizes include notepads, bookmarks, coffee mugs and goodies. The grand prize was two tickets to a performance and dinner for two.

The Summer Reading Program was sponsored by Friends of the Newport News Public Library, Library of Virginia, Captain D’s, Fazolis, McDonald’s, Hardees, Red Robin, Shoney’s, Starbucks, Ferguson Center for the Arts, Chick-fil-A and Outback Steakhouse.

Below are the 2009 Summer Reading Program winners:

Adults:

Bookmobile: Claudia Dickens, Michele Chavis, Mary Stemann, Louise Wasserman, Evelyn Charles, Eric Alladice, Future Wilson

Grissom Library: Pat McGough, Michelle Harlan, Christine Griggs, Gail McLeod, Kendra A. Jackson, Karen Howard

Main Street Library: Carolyn Hicks, Laura Richards, Pooja Rajani, Holly Labelle, Betty Hoffman, Denise Scheett, Sherri Gretka

Pearl Bailey Library: S. Gresham, Gwen Boyce, Stephanie Branch, Bonita Bates, Shanta’ Fuentes, LaTonya Wasington

West Avenue Library: Michael Blizzard, Katrina Rogers, Jennifer McPeters, Steve Apostoles, Carolyn Peters, Diana Taliaferro

Grand prize winner:  Gwendolyn Boyce. 

Your Space art contest winners:

Drawing

First Place:  RJ McLucas, age 16

Second Place:  Cameron Clark, age 15

Third Place:  David Kabia, age 13

Writing

First Place:  Johnathan Scott, age 15

Second Place:  Kaci Agee, age 12

Your Space Winning poem:

“Valley Low to Mountain Top”

By Johnathan Scott, age 15

My old life was easy, but my new life is tough.

My old road was smooth, but my new road is rough.

My old memories were sweet, but my new memories are sweeter.

My old heart was good, but my new heart is better.

I’ve dropped from the mountain top to the valley low.

Let me tell you what I’ve learned and now know.

Now I know if you’ve always been at the highest,

And never at the lowest, then you can never be the greatest or the wisest.

I was uprooted from my old life to be put in a new one

And now I know the Father and his Son.

Mountains…..That’s just a figure of speech

For I know nothing is out of my reach.

I see something in me that I’ve never seen before

And now I realize that I need nothing more.

I’m richer, wiser, better and stronger than I ever was at the top

Just cause I drop.

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