By Staff
AMONG TOP WINNERS n Calvary Christian School second-graders, from left, Taylor Davidson, 7, Bethany Dearman, 7, and Megan Melton, 7, recently placed in a national Reading is Fundamental poster competition. Photo by Marianne Todd/The Meridian Star.
By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
Feb. 8, 2001
Forty-five second-graders representing 15 Meridian area schools have been named winners in Meridian Junior Auxiliary's annual Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Poster Contest.
Held in conjunction with the 2001 RIF National Reading Celebration, the colorful competition provided youth the opportunity to express their most imaginative ideas about reading and books.
The nationwide celebration is promoted as a time for books, reading and fun, giving an increasing number of RIF children a way to participate in creative reading motivation activities.
The winners were as follows:
Parkview: Katie Eakes, first place; Keyontae Miller, second place; and Shekiela Barrett, third place.
West End: Losheca Watson, first; Hamilah Young, second; and Ashley Emerson, third.
Lamar: Adrienne McMullen, first; Grace McKelvey, second; and Bailey Allen, third.
Southeast: Alex Boger, first; Whitney Welch, second; and Wade Gilliland, third.
Oakland Heights: Malia Pryor, first; Danika Conner, second; and Raphael Whitsett, third.
Kings Academy: Zach Allen, first; Hannah Baker, second; and Noah Killebrew, third.
Pentecostal Academy: Javaris Larkin, first; Crystal Garner, second; and Christian Gordon, third.
Poplar Springs: Monica Magcalas, first; David Kimberl, second; and Matthew Ivey, third.
Crestwood: Donna Landrum, first; Miyah Gale, second; and Jed Green, third.
Calvary: Taylor Davidson, first; Megan Melton, second; and Bethany Dearman, third.
West Lauderdale: Patrick Douglas, first; Smokey Ethridge, second; and Will Mallette, third.
Northeast: Audrey Harmon, first; Megan Henderson, second; and Sarah Zabinski, third.
West Hills: Kiara Gordon, first; Shakeila Amos, second; and Kilimanjero Lewis, third.
Clarkdale: Hannah Ford, first; Tyler Conner, second; and Chris Stuckman, third.
Witherspoon: Laquandra Coleman, first; Courtney Hicks, second; and Tinesha Brewster, third.
In addition to sponsoring the poster contest, Meridian Junior Auxiliary also distributes books to second-, third- and fourth-graders in all accredited schools in Lauderdale County. Books are provided with JA, Phil Hardin Foundation and federal funds.
RIF was founded in 1966 by Margaret Craig McNamara at Amidon Elementary School in Washington D.C. While voluntarily tutoring some of the school's students, McNamara discovered many didn't own books. With the help of a group of parents and other volunteers, the program became a local success. With financial backing from the Ford Foundation, the program succeeded nationwide. In 1975, it received federal support.
By the end of last year, more than 360,000 volunteers parents, teachers, librarians and others had provided more than 200 million books to more than 5 million children.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.