PORTLAND – Local students recently received awards through the Maine Humanities Council honoring their winning letters for the 2006 national student essay contest, Letters About Literature.

Letters About Literature is a national reading and writing program sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. More than 47,000 students participated nationwide.

The Maine Humanities Council’s Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book provides local funding and program support necessary to bring the program to Maine. The contest was open to all fourth- through 12th-grade students.

Entrants were asked to write a short letter to an author -living or dead -explaining how that author’s book changed their way of viewing the world and themselves. The letters offer a chance for young readers to reflect on the work of their favorite authors, think about why reading their work was such an engaging experience and express those thoughts and feelings.

More than 700 students from throughout Maine participated.

The following students received first-place awards: Sarah Fitch, grade five, North Yarmouth Memorial School; Lacie Craven of Bucks Harbor, Cornerstone Academy; and Beatrice Abbott, a senior from Windsor.

The following area students received second-place awards:

Una Huang of Readfield, second for grades seven and eight, and Brittany Tucci, a junior who attends Lewiston High School, for grades 11 and 12.

First-place winners in each level received cash awards of $100 and a $50 Target gift card and second place winners received gift certificates for book purchases. The first place winners advance to the national competition.

Area students who received honorable mention were:

Buckfield: Kelly Davis, semifinalist.

Edward Little High School, Auburn: Ethan Grund and Annie Helmkamp, honorable mention; Courtney Hansen, semifinalist.

Gray: Carolyn Liziewski and Kate Liziewski, semifinalists.

Greene Central School: Samantha Eddy, Amber Leduc, Darby E. Rose, Kayla Royer and Mary Shomaker, semifinalists.

Kingfield Elementary: Hillary Chase and Emily Eames, semifinalists.

Leeds Central School: Kendra Elie, semifinalist.

Lewiston High School: Audrey Bergeron, Andrea DiBello, Sara Fabrizio and Ashley Morgan, semifinalist.

Litchfield: Lynnae Chaput, semifinalist.

Livermore Falls Middle School: Tori Fournier, semifinalist.

Madison Area Memorial High School: Kassandre Moulton, semifinalist.

Tripp Middle School, Turner: Kaci Mikasevich, honorable mention.

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