Students take honors in West Madison Reading Fair
Aremon, Jonathan, Ankit and DeAndre proudly show their ribbons and certificates for book entries in the West Madison Reading Fair. (CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – Using the guidelines of a science fair, students recently proved their literary interests in the first annual Reading Fair at West Madison Elementary School.
West Madison students selected a book of their choice and developed a project exhibit with a detailed critique and explanation of plot and characters. Lisa Walden, who teaches sixth-grade language arts, coordinated the fair.
In individual entries for fiction, second-grader Leeza Haddock won first place for grades K-3. Elizabeth Langston took second place, and Ben Crouse placed third. Haddock, Langston and Crouse are second-graders.
Sixth-graders took top spots for fiction in the fifth- and sixth-grade division. Soji Bedsole was first-place winner. Mary Joh Lavanish was in second place, and Shiyeon Ku earned third place.
For fiction as a group project, Julia Swartz and Nayeli Ferrel rated first places for grades K-3. For grades 4-6, winners were Skylar Elliott, Helen Wu and Catherine Cota-Robles, first place; Ankit Bandyopadhyay and DeAndre Smith, second; and JeanPierre LeRoux, Samin Parvez and Nick Newton, third.
Students also pursued book projects with their families. For fiction in grades K-3, Chase Goodwin placed first, followed by Liam Lacy and Aislynn Green.
For individual entries in nonfiction, Kennedy Shelby captured first place for grades 3-4. Vaughn Barnhart earned first place for grades 4-6.
Aremon Garth and Jonathan Luchini were first-place winners for a group project in nonfiction. In family projects for nonfiction, Aanvik Singh earned first place, Ava Zimmerman was in second place, while Swetha Jakka was the third-place winner.
Madison City Schools educators Allyson Carpenter, Angie Bush and Dr. Missy Coman, along with James Clemens High School seniors pursuing a service project, served as judges for the West Madison Reading Fair.
Walden hopes the reading fair will expand to other elementary schools and develop into a citywide competition and eventually open in secondary schools in Madison.
