Lee Burneson Students Semifinalists In National Writing Contest

WESTLAKE, OH — The Library of Congress' Letters About Literature Contest has named five Lee Burneson Middle School students as semifinalists, the district announced. Each student wrote a letter to the author of a book and is hoping for a personal reply.

The students are members of Deb Schrembeck's Language Arts classes. Each student was asked to read a book, poem or speech and then to write the author (regardless of if the author was alive or deceased). The students wrote about how the piece impacted them personally. The letters are then judged on state and national levels.

• Ashley Rocky wrote to R.J. Palacio, author of “Wonder”
• Xiomara Flores wrote to Jennifer Jacobson, author of “Paper Things”
• Kylie King wrote to R.J. Palacio, author of “Wonder”
• Natalie Farrag wrote to Raina Telgemeier, author of “Ghosts”
• Alexis Hamilton wrote to Dan Gemeinhart, author of “The Honest Truth”

In 2017, there were 1,340 letters from Ohio students, in grades 4-12. The top 20 percent of those letters were selected as state finalists. On a national level, about 8,000 letters will make it to state-level judging.

Only first-place state winners will move on to the national competition. Judges for the contest include authors, publishers, librarians and teachers from across the nation. All state finalist letters will be forwarded to living writers in the hopes of a personal reply, the Westlake Schools said.

National winners will be recognized during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in May.

Photo from Westlake Schools