April 30, 2013
JACKSON, Miss. – Students in grades K-12 earned gold medals for their first place projects in the Mississippi Department of Education's Annual State Reading Fair held recently in Jackson.
The Reading Fair provides students with the opportunity to share their favorite fiction or non-fiction book through a storyboard display. The goal of the Reading Fair is to instill a lifelong love of reading in students as they experience a deeper enjoyment and pleasure from reading gained through participating in the process.
Students entered one of three categories: individual, group project, or family. Within each category, students were judged in divisions based on grade level. Students participated in local competitions to advance to regional competitions. First place winners at each regional site advanced to the state level reading fair, where they competed against each other in their respective category.
The winners selected at the state level competition include:
Individual Category Winners
Kindergarten - First Place: T.J. Geter, Newton County School District, Newton County Elementary
Kindergarten - Second Place: Nellie Kate Johnson, Alcorn County School District, Kossuth Elementary School
Kindergarten -Third Place: Leah Briscoe, Grenada School District, Grenada Elementary School
Kindergarten - Honorable Mention: Alana Bell, Long Beach School District, W.J. Quarles Elementary School
First Grade - First Place: Rhys Newman, Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, Nativity BVM Elementary School
First Grade - Second Place: Anna Beth Herring, Scott County School District, Morton Elementary School
First Grade - Third Place: Julianna Portilla, Cleveland School District, Hayes Cooper Center for Math, Science and Technology
First Grade - Honorable Mention: Dalice Owens, Tishomingo County School District, Belmont Elementary School
Second Grade - First Place: James Park, Rankin County School District, Northshore Elementary School
Second Grade - Second Place: Tyler Hudson, Lamar County School District, Purvis Lower Elementary School
Second Grade - Third Place: Tyren Boyd, Indianola School District, Lockard Elementary School
Second Grade - Honorable Mention: Bella Trott, Lafayette County School District, Lafayette Elementary School
Third Grade - First Place: Taylor Parrot, Perry County School District, New Augusta Elementary School
Third Grade - Second Place: Payton Skinner, Scott County School District, Sebastopol Attendance Center
Third Grade - Third Place: Emma Spinks, Cleveland School District, Bell Elementary School
Third Grade - Honorable Mention: Conner McHenry, Lee County School District, Saltillo Elementary School
Grades 4-5 - First Place: Clara Allen, Lowndes County School District, Caledonia Elementary School
Grades 4-5 -Second Place: Preslie McCool, Cleveland School District, Parks Elementary
Grades 4-5 -Third Place: Jake Feist, Lauderdale County School District, West Lauderdale Attendance Center
Grades 4-5 - Honorable Mention: Caleb Brooks, Covington County School District, Mount Olive Attendance Center
Grades 6-8- First Place: Ronnie Robbins, Marion County School District, West Marion High School
Grades 6-8- Second Place: Amiya Rogers, Cleveland School District, Hayes Cooper Center for Math, Science and Technology
Grades 6-8- Third Place: Addie Paton, DeSoto County School District, Lewisburg Middle School
Grades 6-8- Honorable Mention: Mieya Garrett, Madison County School District, Northeast Madison Middle School
Grades 9-12 - First Place: Abby Ready, Lawrence County School District, Lawrence County High School
Grades 9-12 - Second Place: Griffin Gardner, Lauderdale County School District, Northeast Lauderdale High School
Grades 9-12 - Third Place: Leeta Prater, New Albany School District, New Albany High School
Grades 9-12 - Honorable Mention: Euphrates Jones, Clarksdale Municipal School District, Clarksdale High School
Non-fiction Individual Category Winners
Grades 3-8- First Place: Keyelle Holder, Itawamba County School District, Itawamba Attendance Center
Grades 3-8- Second Place: Joseph Park, Rankin County School District, Northshore Elementary School
Grades 3-8- Third Place: Jenny Deal, Simpson County School District, Magee Middle School
Grades 3-8- Honorable Mention: Jamie Muilwyk, Grenada School District, Grenada Middle School
Grades 9-12 - First Place: Lindsey Lauderdale, Union County School District, Myrtle Attendance Center
Grades 9-12 - Second Place: Mary Alex Johnson, Clarksdale Municipal School District, Clarksdale High
Grades 9-12 - Third Place: Kaitlin Lack, Covington County School District, Mount Olive Attendance Center
Grades 9-12 - Honorable Mention: Clay Evans, Rankin County School District, Puckett Attendance Center
Group Category Winners
Pre-K-3rd Grade - First Place: Bailey Cole, Bailey Fulton, and Kelly Coggin, Tupelo Public School District, Rankin Elementary School
Pre-K-3rd Grade - Second Place: Alyssa Thomas, Maxcy Chaney, and Emily DeLano, Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School
Pre-K-3rd Grade - Third Place: Allie Johnson, Caley Gatlin, and Hannah Beatty, Scott County School District, Morton Elementary School
Pre-K-3rd Grade - Honorable Mention: Cartavian Lakes and Liyah McCord, West Tallahatchie School District, R.H. Bearden Elementary School
Grades 4-8 - First Place: Ava Lubin and Caroline Virden, Cleveland School District, Hayes Cooper Center for Math, Science and Technology
Grades 4-8 - Second Place: Kaylyn Lavender and Mallie Kate Williams, Alcorn County School District, Alcorn Central Middle School
Grades 4-8 - Third Place: Liesel Stritar and Anna Kate Doiron, Ocean Springs School District, Ocean Springs Middle School
Grades 4-8 - Honorable Mention: Tyler Fant and David Thaggard, Lauderdale County School District, Clarkdale Attendance Center
Grades 9-12- First Place: Turner Bell Griffin and Anna Marie Saulters, Lauderdale County School District, Clarkdale Attendance Center
Grades 9-12 - Second Place: Patrick Johnson, North Bolivar School District, Broad Street High School
Grades 9-12- Third Place: Keri Crum and Whitney Shipman, Alcorn County School District, Kossuth High School
Grades 9-12 - Honorable Mention: Ashley Polk and Lawrence Durr, Simpson County School District, Mendenhall High School
Family Category Winners
Pre-K-3rd Grade - First Place: Emma Rose Thompson, Monroe County School District, Hatley School
Pre-K-3rd Grade - Second Place: Hob Carleton, Union City Public School District, Union Elementary School
Pre-K-3rd Grade - Third Place: Autumn Williams, Clarksdale Municipal School District, Heidelberg Elementary School
Pre-K-3rd Grade - Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Oelke, Pass Christian School District, Pass Christian Elementary School
Grades 4-8 - First Place: Donnally Williams, Pass Christian School District, Pass Christian Elementary School
Grades 4-8 - Second Place: Carter Hillmer, Marshall County School District, Potts Camp Attendance Center
Grades 4-8 - Third Place: Brittany Leggett and Brianna Leggett, Jackson Public School District, Bates Elementary School
Grades 4-8 - Honorable Mention: Chaz Trost and Cislee Trost, Grenada School District, Grenada Middle School
Note: Photos of the winners are located on the Mississippi Department of Education's website at?
If you have any questions, please email Lakechia Grant at lgrant@mde.k12.ms.us or call at (601) 359-2586.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519