Library Announces Kleiman Contest Winners

Top winners in the Kendallville Public Library’s ninth annual Kleiman Creative Writing Contest were: 4^th Grade – Evan Ramp, Milford Elementary; 5^th Grade – Alyssa Claymiller, Home School and 6^th Grade – Jessica Bennett, Central Noble Middle School.  Additional contest winners include:

4^th Grade

First Place – Into the Dark by Evan Ramp – Milford Elementary

Second Place – The Lineup by Nathan Housholder – North Side Elementary

Third Place – Our Ocean is Gone by Kelli Brennan – St. Mary’s Catholic School

Honorable Mention – Freckle Count by Jenna Boese – Avilla School

Honorable Mention – Where is Pixie Village by Emily Napier – Rome City School

Art Honorable Mention – A Journey to Friendship by Taryn Campbell – Avilla      School

Art Honorable Mention – The Flight of the P-51 Mustang by Ben Blumer – Home School

5^th Grade

First Place – Together by Alyssa Claymiller – Home School

Second Place – Swally Learns a Lesson by Stone Groosbeck – Prairie Heights Middle School

Third Place – Where’s McFlie? by Celest Mosley – North Side Elementary School

Honorable Mention – Ellie and Gerty’s Big Adventure by Karly Kandel – Wayne Center Elementary School

Honorable Mention – To Be a Tree by Ryan McCann – Home School

Art Honorable Mention – Shadow and the Killer Litter Box by Whitney Gibson – Avilla School

Art Honorable Mention – Ed and Fred Travel Through Time by Luke Donat  - Country Meadow Elementary School

6^th Grade

First Place – The Locker Monster by Jessica Bennett – Central Noble Middle School

Second Place – Lucy’s Weekend Away by Amanda Bassett – Avilla School

Third Place – The Hero of the Oxhide Jail by Jordan Sible – St. Mary’s Catholic School

Honorable Mention – The Dragon Who Lost His Scales by Cassie Gram – Avilla School

Honorable Mention – The Lil’ Firefighter by Janelle Wasson – Avilla School

Art Honorable Mention – Growing Ninja by Anthony Stevens – Central Noble Middle School

Art Honorable Mention – The Secret of the Janitors by Lora Mosley – Central Noble Middle School

The contest involves many area students and is an outstanding opportunity for students to use their creative talents.  This year’s contest featured 750 books from  authors and illustrators in from schools in the four-county area covering Noble, LaGrange, Steuben and Dekalb.

Contest participants were honored on Thursday, April 24 at a banquet at the Kendallville Event Center with Goeglein’s catering the food.  Each participant was presented a certificate and their book was returned to them bound and laminated. 

First place winners were given a $50 gift certificate to Border’s Book Store and a copy of their winning entry will be added to the collections of the Kendallville Public Library, the Limberlost Public Library and their school library.  Other winners received Border’s gift certificates in the following amounts - second place - $25; third place - $15; honorable mention - $10 and artistic honorable mention - $10.

The library is grateful to the Kleiman family and Goeglein’s Catering for their financial support of the contest and its awards.

The Kleiman Creative Writing Contest originated when the children of Isadore and Pearl Kleiman wanted to give the Kendallville Public Library a gift of money and in turn requested the library assist them with a lasting tribute to their parents.  Mr. Kleiman was an avid reader, served on the library board and known to encourage his children and their friends to read.  Later in life one of those he encouraged – Robert Cotner – decided to become an author.  Cotner fondly remembers Mr. Kleiman as his first mentor and because of his encouragement to read he acquired the desire to become a writer.  

Due to this, the library decided to sponsor a writing contest with the donated resources.  After researching several possibilities, the library narrowed the contest to children in grades four, five and six and chose to have participants write and illustrate a children’s storybook.

The first year, 28 stories were entered into the contest. It’s grown exponentially every year, as more and more schools participate. Many teachers incorporate the contest into their classroom curriculum.

Through the Kleiman Creative Writing Contest, it is the library’s hope to plant seeds of interest in the mind’s of participating students, to encourage children to write, to draw, to read, to imagine, and to tap their creative thinking.  While we may never know who will one day become a successful author, it is our desire to create an environment where children may develop the basic skills. Children are encouraged to take their thoughts and express themselves through writing a story and then illustrating their book.