- Accepting literature honors were, from left, front, Kathleen Click, Luke Nero, teacher Amy Furman; back, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Austin Hornbaker. — Photo courtesy Amy Furman
Three students from Kyrene Aprende Middle School ranked first, second and third for grades 7-8 in this year’s Letter About Literature contest for the state of Arizona.
The national competition promotes reading through the program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Young readers write a personal letter to an author of their choice, explaining how the author’s work impacted their life. Approximately 70,000 students across the country participated in this year’s event, with over 500 coming from Arizona alone.
Aprende student Kathleen Click took first place for the Level II (grades 7 and 8) winners, Austin Hornbaker was awarded second place and Luke Nero tied with Mia Scholink, from Bios Christian Academy, for third place.
Aprende teacher Amy Furman had all three students in her classes this past year, and encouraged all of her students to send letters to authors as one of her assignments.
“I was so excited to hear they were picked as winners this year,” Furman said. “I think these opportunities are great for the students; I think it allows them to see a meaning that their reading can make a difference.”
