Winners of the 12th Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Contest Honored

On Monday evening, Board members and staff of 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 and The Stony Brook School honored teens and tweens at the 12th annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award:

First Prize (Grades 6 – 8 category): Bunny and the Bluejay by Vivienne Rochlin-Hizver (7^th grader at P.J. Gelinas Middle School)

Subscribe

First Prize (Grades 9 – 12 category): The Penguins Go to the City by Elizabeth Wright (11^th grader at Ward Melville High School)

Second Prize (Grades 6 – 8 category): Ricky and the Beach by Maddex Buonaspina (7^th grader at R. C. Murphy Middle School)

Second Prize (Grades 9 – 12 category): Seven Meals Around the World by Genevieve Rochlin (11^th grader at The Stony Brook School)

Library Director Theresa Liguori, along with the family of the late Helen Stein Shack, presented the winners’ books – bound and added to the Library’s Local Focus Collection – along with certificates and $400 checks to first prize winners Vivienne Rochlin-Hizver and Elizabeth Wright and $100 checks for second prize winners Maddex Buonaspina and Genevieve Rochlin. Ms. Liguori remarked, “All of these books are delightful expressions of creativity and imagination.”

Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright, Councilmember Jonathan Korneich, and a staff member from Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay’s office were in attendance, and they presented certificates to the winners. The winners also received certificates from New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo.

The award is named in honor of Helen Stein Shack, whose family approached the Library with the idea of establishing an endowment as a tribute to their mother, a teacher and lover of libraries, especially Emma Clark Library. Their gift covers the cost of the awards and passes along Ms. Shack’s joy of reading and lifelong learning to future generations. Karen Shack Reid, one of Ms. Stein Shack’s daughters, addressed the winners with a special message:

Keep in mind, you didn’t just submit a piece of work. You’ve completed a book. You’ve crafted a story. You shaped your vision. You followed it through to the end and that alone is an achievement most people can’t do. Let it remind you always of what you’re capable of. My mother would be proud of your talent, no doubt, but she would be more proud of your courage. She also believed that your confidence grows each time you share your voice with the world… let this award be a reminder that you have everything it takes to keep creating, keep growing, and keep believing in your own abilities.

Of course, children’s literature was a theme of the evening, with Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich commenting, “I’m very well aware of the power… that a good children’s book can have to literally alter the trajectory of a child’s life and change their whole perspective… and how they engage their minds and get involved.”

Three Village Central School District Board President Susan Megroz Rosenzweig expressed her excitement and joy to see these original books on the shelves of Emma Clark Library. “I cannot wait for all of the kids from Three Village and beyond to plunk down upstairs in one of my most favorite places, the children’s library, and break out those books and go into the world that you built for them.”

Library Board Vice President Carol Leister, Secretary Angeline Yeo-Judex, and Trustees Debroah Blair, Stephen Ingulli, and Linda Josephs were in attendance to congratulate the winners.In addition to Susan Megroz Rosenzweig, Assistant Superintendent Brian Biscari, Director Fine Arts Ashley Ockner, Ward Melville High School Principal John Holownia, Gelinas Middle School Principal Corinne Keane, Murphy Middle School Principal Michael Jantzen, Ward Melville High School English Department Chairperson Joanna Nizza, Murphy Librarian Ellen Dove, and Murphy English Teacher Susan Keenan were all there in support of their students, along with the Head of the English Department at The Stony Brook School, Jacob Morley.

Guests enjoyed sweets by The Bite Size Bake Shop, a local Three Village-owned business that has been donating desserts to the ceremony since the contest began twelve years ago.

Legislator Steve Englebright summed up the celebration in his remarks, “Congratulations to each of the winners and for bringing us a chance to know that going forward we’re going to see more creativity and more wonderful products of your imagination.”

The Helen Stein Shack Book Contest calls for teens and tweens in grades 6 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 between an author and an illustrator.The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 6 through 8 and grades 9 through 12, with one First Prize Winner and one Second Prize Winner selected from each group.

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”

###