Three Westerville students have been invited to attend a luncheon and awards ceremony at the Main Branch of the Cleveland Public Library on Saturday, May 3, where they will be recognized for their success in The Ohio Center for the Book’s 2014 Letters About Literature contest. Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this is a national reading and writing competition for pupils in grades 4-12. Students are asked to write to an author, living or dead, whose work has affected them.
Westerville North High School student David Scherer placed first in the Level III Division, for his letter to J.D. Salinger about Catcher in the Rye. He will represent the State of Ohio at the national level. He is taught by Maryann Hines. Also named as Level III Semifinalists were Westerville Central students Victor Massaquoi, who wrote to Pam Munoz Ryan about her novel Esperanza Rising, and Brandon Sagle, who wrote to James Agee about his novel A Death in the Family. They are taught by Jim Grannis.
During the promotional phase of the contest, more than 18,000 educators throughout Ohio were contacted and by the submission deadline, 1,280 students had entered a letter. Of those, 286 were selected to advance to the state level, including 15 Westerville Central students and five Westerville North students. When possible, their letters were forwarded to the authors.