And the Winners Are…

Each summer The Book Loft offers a free book to Valley grade school students in exchange for a book report.  We read all the reports and the one we like best from each grade wins a $25 Book Loft gift certificate.
We received lots of great reports and some outstanding artwork, making this year's decisions difficult. (See winners' box on page 2.)
The Book Loft reading/writing contest is in its 15th year.  Several past winners have parlayed their writing skills into further recognition and accomplishment.  Leah Etling and her brother Will were multiple winners. 
Leah currently works the education beat for the Santa Barbara News Press and Will, a film student at UCSB, has earned by-lines this summer as a News Press intern. 
One of the first things Kyle Abello did when he moved to the Valley was enter The Book Loft's reading contest.  He was a winner then and some years later, competing against adult writers of all ages, his poem was judged one of the best submitted in the store's poetry contest.  Kyle has recently been named Buellton's City Recreation Director. 
Many participants in the Book Loft reading contest go on to take part in the Arts Outreach Applause programs.