97-98 Readers Are Leaders Contest Report

97-98 Readers Are Leaders Contest Report

A Report on the 1997-1998 Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest

Some things, no matter how long you do them, never get boring or dull. This is the 15th

year that, as editor of Future Reflections, I have written a report on the results of the

Braille Readers are Leader Contest, and it is every bit as exciting as it was when I wrote

the first one in 1985.

The 1997-1998 contest year was, in many ways, a landmark year in the history of the

contest. The number of students participating--431--was almost double the number in the

previous year's contest. Because of the large participation, the sponsors of the contest

(the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the National Association to

Promote the Use of Braille) decided to recognize the fourth and fifth place winners in

each graded category and to increase the number of winners in the Most Improved category

from 5 to 10.

Perhaps one of the reasons for the growth in the contest is that teachers increasingly

recognize what a valuable tool it is in motivating students to read. Here are three of the

numerous letters and notes we received from grateful teachers:

Salinas, California

February 2, 1998

Dear Friends,

Thank you for having this contest yearly. It really accomplishes its purpose. One year

my student, _______, won the contest (first place), and she felt really great about

herself.

This year I have two students entering. One is so excited about the contest. He missed

some school getting a kidney transplant. The other has been hard to motivate for home

reading. This has been a tremendous influence on them.

Keep up all of your good work.

Yours truly,

Kathy Dempsey, VH Specialist

Columbus, Georgia

February 2, 1998

Dear Mrs. Barbara Cheadle,

My name is Marlene Culpepper and, as the school's Braille teacher, I am the certifying

authority for our contestants' participation in your contest. It is my first full year as

a Braille teacher and our first year participating in your contest. It has been such a

positive experience for all of our students.

One of our students laughed when I mentioned that we were entering this contest. She

said that she didn't read at home for enjoyment and that reading was not really the

activity of her choice. I am happy to report that with each passing month she read a

greater number of pages and that she began to look forward to reading more. She enjoys

reading now and hopefully has developed a habit of reading a little each night.

Our school has four Braille readers, who have all participated in the contest. I am

happy to report 100 percent participation for our first year.

Thanks again for the opportunity to participate in your terrific contest. We look

forward to entering again next year.

Sincerely,

Marlene Culpepper

Lincoln, Nebraska

February 15, 1998

Dear Barbara,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and all of the others who make the

contest, Braille Readers Are Leaders, possible. This is a wonderful service to Braille

students. I would like to describe my experience with the contest.

I enrolled a third grade student in the 1997 contest. It was the first time I had

enrolled a student and the first time he had entered this contest. At the beginning of the

contest he was still only so-so about reading Braille versus reading print. If I asked

him, he probably would have asked for print just so he could look at the pictures.

At the beginning of the contest he was not reading Braille books at home at all. We

started with a very small book that was only nine pages long. He reluctantly agreed.

Gradually we added a book that he took home each day until he was taking about three books

home each school day. Over the weekend he would take nine books home.

It took a little while, but the improvement began to show. During the three months that

he read for this contest I feel that he advanced through a half to perhaps close to a full

year of Braille instruction. By the end of the contest he requested to read books. He asks

to have a reading day, where he will not be asked to write Braille, but just to read

stories. He even sneaks ahead of my lesson and reads the next story in the Patterns book.

Please continue to offer this contest for other young Braille readers. It has made a

world of difference for this young reader and his family.

Sincerely,

Susan Stokes

Thank you Susan, Marlene, and Kathy for taking the time to let us know how important

the contest is to your students. We also want to thank you—and all the other

teachers, libriaians, and parents—for taking the extra time out of an already hectic

schedule to find books, transcribe Braille books, and keep track of pages for your

students. It's a lot of work for the kids—but we know it's a lot of work for you,

too. Thanks!

1997-1998 Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest Winners

School for the Blind Outstanding Participation Award Winner:

Washington School For The Blind

Honorable Mention:

Missouri School for the Blind

Ohio State School for the Blind

Most Improved

Marlena Bogden, Maryland, 8th grade

Carol Chambers, Washington, 6th grade

Jessamyn Landby, Washington, 8th grade

Charles McMahan, Georgia, 1st grade

Joseph Hollins, Kentucky, 6th grade

Leslie Limp, Kentucky, 7th grade

Patrick Engasser, New York, 5th grade

Danielle Jones, Arizona, 11th grade

Robby Spangler, Ohio, 3rd grade

Jennifer Karns, Maryland, 12th grade

Print-to-Braille

* First: Manal Nassar, Michigan

4th grade, 3,604 pages

* Second: Hope Springstead, Michigan

4th grade, 3,070 pages

* Third: Amin Makkawy, Nebraska

3rd grade, 2,475 pages

Honorable Mention:

* Amanda Gretka, Michigan

4th grade, 1,949 pages

* Laura White, Michigan

6th grade, 1,327 pages

Kindergarten—First Grade

* First: Bryce Weiler, Illinois

2,378 pages

* Second: James Thomas, Colorado,

1,493 pages

* Third: Rochelle Schmitt, Indiana,

1,291 pages

Honorable Mention:

* Mei-Ling Felten, Wisconsin, 1,017 pages

* Cody Breen, Florida, 886 pages

Second—Fourth Grade

* First: Shanda Adkins, North Carolina

7,405 pages

* Second: Casey Burns, Wisconsin

7,071 pages

* Third: Desiree Oudinot, Pennsylvania

6,282 pages

Honorable Mention:

* Jessica Watson, Maryland, 5,799 pages

* Stuart Weller, Washington, 4,510 pages

Fifth—Eighth Grade

*First: Allison Passino, Oregon

8,752 pages

* Second: Mark Lee, Louisiana

6,439 pages

* Third: Skylar Covich, California

5,679 pages

Honorable Mention:

* Amanda Jones, Tennessee, 5,226 pages

* Angela Moran, Maryland, 4,891 pages

Ninth—Twelfth Grade

* First: Angela Hubbard, Virginia

16,345 pages

* Second: Janice Sloan, Texas

14,206 pages

* Third: Joshua Jungwirth, Michigan

6,533 pages

Honorable Mention:

* James Konechne, South Dakota, 5,865

* Tanya Zwick, Arizona, 4,035 pages

Marlena Bogden, a Most

Improved winner in the '98

Braille contest, receives her

award from Sharon Maneki.

Amy Herstein of Maryland gets

ready for the 1999 contest.