Local storytellers Donna “Queen Asheba” Samuel and Janice Tutein had students laughing as well as spellbound Thursday during National Library Week at Florence Williams Public Library.
This year, the American Library Association (ALA) has set the theme for National Library Week as “Create your own story @ your library.”
The program at the library honored Delta Dorsch, a well-known U.S. Virgin Islands educator, storyteller, and culture bearer, who died in January at age 95.
Myron Jackson, director of the Cultural Heritage Institute, told the children of the importance of storytelling and preserving Virgin Islands culture as Dorsch did with her stories.
Sharon Charles brought 22 Lew Muckle Elementary School Wake Up Writers Club members to read aloud “Why Ostrich Can’t Fly” a story she wrote as a model for writing stories.
Charles, advisor of the club, said the more the students read and write the better off they will be.
Helena Stevens, reading coach at Ricardo Richards Elementary school said the philosophy at Ricardo Richards is “we read and we write, grade, after grade, after grade, from kindergarten on.”
Letters About Literature Student winners were announced and awarded cash and certificates.
Letters About Literature is an annual national reading and writing promotion program sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, presented in partnership with Target. The students read a book of their choice, then wrote a letter to the author telling them what they thought about the story.
The first place winner for level one was Ryan Hodge, sixth grader at Ricardo Richards,who read “Flying Solo” by Ralph Fletcher. The level two winner was Anayah Ferris, eighth grader at Country Day School, who read “Eclipse” by Stephanie Meyers. First place winners got $100 cash and a Target gift certificate and second place won $50.
“This feels great getting first,” Hodge said. “I thought I’d try my best to win, but I wasn’t expecting to win.”
Second place for level one went to Diamond Mark, a fifth grader at Ricardo Richards. Mark read Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. “I love to read and write,” Mark said. “I knew the letter I wrote was good and I felt confident about winning.”
Lemiah Bates, a sixth grader from Ricardo Richards came in third for her letter written to James Patterson, author of Maximum Ride.
Around 100 students attended the program from Free Will Baptist School, St. Mary’s Catholic School, Lew Muckle and Ricardo Richards Elementary Schools.
Gov. John P. deJongh, Jr. proclaimed April 10th – 16th, 2011 as National Library Week in the Virgin Islands. The week is a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians and library workers in schools, campuses and communities nationwide.