Outlook: United Way hosts bookmark contest
Published 8:00 am Sunday, May 30, 2021
- Clockwise from left: United Way of West Central MIssissippi Executive Director Michele Connelly and Lillyanna Wooten; United Way of West Central Mississippi Executive Director Michele Connelly and Oliver Hesselberg; Porters Chapel Academy second grade teacher Myra Beard and Lauren Davis; Sherman Avenue principal Tawanda Nichols and Zay'la Davis.
Second-grade students from local elementary schools had the opportunity to compete in a bookmark contest that was in conjunction with the LEARN (Leaders Encouraging Advancements in Reading Now) program.
More than 200 entries were received, United Way director of Marketing and Resource Development Alesia Shaw said, and four winners were selected.
Shaw said the second-grade students were able to design anything they wanted on their bookmarks but were asked to include something that related to reading or learning.
Sponsored by the United Way of West Central Mississippi, Ergon and other partners, LEARN is a program that provides four books to every third-grade student in Warren County.
All four of the winning bookmarks will be reproduced. And next year when the students become third graders, the bookmarks will be distributed to them with one of the LEARN books the United Way gives out.
“The bookmark designs that were not selected,” Shaw said, will be laminated and fashioned into bookmarks that will be handed out to those that check out books at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library.
The United Way is part of the Mississippi Campaign for Grade Level Reading, which is geared towards helping children and youth reach their full potential.
Winners from this year’s bookmark contest were Lilyanna Wooten from Redwood Elementary, Oliver Hesselberg from St. Francis Xavier Elementary, Zay’la Davis from Sherman Avenue Elementary and Lauren Davis from Porters Chapel Academy.