Bigfork student places first in writing contest

Students from Bigfork, Bozeman, and Kalispell took top honors in this year's Montana Letters About Literature writing contest. Judges selected the winning entries in three different age categories out of more than 650 submissions.

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and Target Stores. The program is sponsored at the state level by the Montana Committee for the Humanities and the Montana Center for the Book.

"We offer our congratulations to all our state winners," said MCH Executive Director Mark Sherouse, "and indeed to all the more than 600 Montana students who entered Letters About Literature. Montana students are reading and writing well, and Letters About Literature is a wonderful opportunity for them to show what they can do."

To enter, young readers write a personal letter to an author explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Readers can select authors from any genre—from fiction or nonfiction to contemporary or classic. The program has three competition levels: upper elementary, middle school and secondary. The contest theme encourages young readers to explore their personal responses to books and then craft responses in creative, original ways.

Devan Fitzpatrick, who won first place in the state's elementary division, wrote a letter to Kenneth Thomasma. The letter begins:

"Dear Kenneth Thomasma, My grandpa always tells me to look up when we see a bald eagle soaring in the air above us. 'Devan, do you remember who that eagle is?' Well, that eagle up in the sky was my grandma. My grandma died of ovarian cancer when I was seven years old on June 8, 2002, two days after my birthday. It was a very heavy-hearted moment for my family. When she passed away and I was holding her hand, my grandpa and my family saw an eagle out of the fingerprinted window. Ever since then we have thought of grandma as an eagle."

"Your book 'Pathki Nana' inspired me. Before I read your book, I was only thinking about myself and how I didn't have a grandma anymore. I didn't even pay attention to how sad my family was; can you believe that?"

The state winners in the three age categories are:

Level I, fourth-sixth grade

First Place, Devan Fitzpatrick—Bigfork Elementary School

Second Place, Carl Kohnstamm—Whitefish Central School

Third Place, Bayne Tilton, also from Bigfork Elementary

Level II, seventh and eighth grades

First Place, Hunter Lapp—Kalispell Junior High School

Second Place, McKenzie Javorka—Kalispell Junior High School

Third Place, Elsie Satterfield, also from Kalispell Junior High School

Level III, ninth through 12th grades

First Place, Christie IIanna, individual entry—Bozeman

Second Place, Callie Strellnauer—Whitefish High School

Third Place, Riata Booky—Flathead High School

Each Montana finalist received cash prizes, and state first-place winners got a $50 gift card to Target Stores. First-place winners were also entered in the national contest.