Young Authors Faireby Madeline Smith Moore | |
St. Lawrence O’Toole eighth-grade authors (left to right): Jazie Flores, Cady Oberle, and Jasmine Manson. Photo by Nick Lostracco.
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Nestled out of sight behind St. Lawrence O'Toole Church on High St. is a beehive of creativity, the St. Lawrence O'Toole School. For the eighteenth year the Oakland Diocese has held the "Young Authors Faire," a competition in which students from over 40 schools including Alameda and Contra Costa counties, compose original manuscripts and illustrations in the form of books. This year SLOT students in grades K through 8, designed and constructed books that earned them five winning places:
First place: a classbook, I Am Amazing and Hopeful, third grade;
Second place: a classbook, Starry Nights Psalms, second grade;
Second place: a book written for younger children, Nea Veil the Eel's Underwater Adventure, eighth grade;
Third place (honorable mention): a classbook: Haikus from Deep Space, fourth grade;
Third place (honorable mention): a classbook: How to be a Salmonid, fifth grade.
The categories included for submissions are fiction, autobiographical writing/family biography, poetry, religion, and children's or easy reading books. Students contribute to the contents of their book with poetry, short essays, appropriate maxims, and art. Each literary piece is accompanied by a complementary drawing, some in watercolors, some in crayon, some in pastels. All of this material is gathered and assembled into a book. The covers are laminated; the books are bound and copyrighted. A panel of teachers judges them on content, organization, writing style, mechanics, and presentation.
Each school entering the contest is required to have a staff representative. For the last two years, Mrs. Sherry Eastwood-Falls, third-grade teacher, has been the representative and guide for St. Lawrence O'Toole. Previously, she served as representative from several other schools in the Diocese. Along with the support of the principal, Mrs. Barbara McCullough, Mrs. Eastwood-Falls has shepherded the project, which has produced impressive results. It gives her great pleasure and optimism to witness such promising creativity emanating from our local school children. The children demonstrate pride and enthusiasm not only in winning, but also in their creation of such works of literature and art. And along the way, they are cultivating and nurturing such skills as organization, discipline, and patience, as well as natural-born skills in art and in writing, giving them a leg up both at school and in life.
This year the award ceremony was held on Saturday, May 8, at St. Mary's School in Walnut Creek, where the books were on display. Book certificates are awarded to students who earn grand, first, and second, place and to those who earn honorable mention.
Established in 1949, this school is a badge of pride for Oakland. The building is modern and spotless; the children are well-mannered and enthusiastic. Any parent would certainly see it as a good place for children to begin their education.
St. Lawrence O'Toole School, located at 3695 High St., is accepting applications for enrollment; call 530-0266.