1st Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award

This past Sunday, Emma Clark Library, along with the family of the late Helen Stein Shack, local elected officials, and representatives from the Three Village Central School district, awarded teens with the first annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award:

Grand Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Leah Cussen for Lenny the Lion

Grand Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Wendy Wahlert for Lilabet

Honorable Mentions (Grades 7 – 9 category): Samuel Kim for Freddy the Fish and the First Day of School and Anny Weisenberg for Red Boots for Rainy Days

Honorable Mentions (Grades 10 – 12 category): Kiera Alventosa for Heal Our Mother Earth and Sarah and Karen Jiang for Pengy Goes on an Adventure

Lenny the Lion by Leah Cussen is about a young lion who feels he doesn’t belong with his family and searches for a new one. In the end, Lenny discovers that his family loves and accepts him for who he is, even though they may have differences. Lilabet by Wendy Wahlert is about a girl who loves color, but she lives in a black and white world. She embraces what makes her unique and decides to share her color with everyone.

At the ceremony in the Vincent R. O’Leary Community Room, Library Director Ted Gutmann, along with the family of Helen Stein Shack, presented all of the winners’ books – bound and added to the library’s Local Focus Collection – along with $500 scholarships to grand-prize winners Leah Cussen and Wendy Wahlert. Mr. Gutmann spoke of the importance of imagination. Sherry Cleary, daughter of the late Helen Stein Shack, told the audience a bit about her mother and why they chose to establish this endowment with Emma Clark Library. “My mother was a relatively simple person who lived in Stony Brook and then St. James for many, many years, and she loved her library,” explained Ms. Cleary. “People would come to see her and say, ‘It’s so nice in this town,’ and she would say, ‘Oh yes, but I love my library’…This library embodies what a community is and what it means to be a central place….the glue…it’s a beautiful model for a community.”

Councilwoman Valerie Cartright, along with Lou Marcoccia (Receiver of Taxes who represented Supervisor Edward Romaine’s office) presented the winners with certificates from the Town of Brookhaven. Three Village Central School District President of the Board of Education William Connors, Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich, Assistant Superintendent Kevin Scanlon, Ward Melville High School Principal Alan Baum, Ward Melville High School English Chairperson Brian McAuliffe, R.C. Murphy Junior High School Librarian Betsy Knox, Gelinas Junior High School Librarian April Hatcher, and Gelinas Junior High School teacher Melissa Horn were all in attendance.

Guests enjoyed desserts donated by The Bite Size Bake Shop, a local Three Village-owned business. Everyone then moved upstairs to the Children’s Department program room where the grand-prize winners read their stories to young patrons.

The Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award, which was announced last year, called for teens in grades 7 through 12 who live in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book. Each entry could be the work of a single author/illustrator or a collaborative effort of an author and an illustrator. The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 7 through 9 and grades 10 through 12, with one Grand Prize winner from each group, as well as two Honorable Mention winners selected from each category. The library is grateful to the children of the late Mrs. Shack who have established a substantial endowment with the library to cover the cost of presenting this annual award.

“Shine. Let everyone see how truly talented you are,” Councilwoman Valerie Cartright advised the winners. The purpose of this contest was to showcase the young writing and artistic talent in the Three Village Community, and that talent was definitely displayed at the library this past weekend.

Pictured in photo: Leah Cussen, Samuel Kim, Wendy Wahlert, Anny Weisenberg, Karen and Sarah Jiang (not present: honorable mention winner Kiera Alventosa)

More photos can be found on Emma Clark Library’s Facebook page. Click here to view them.

The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and on the web at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.

“The Heart of the Three Village Community”

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