Mayor Stacy Bazman (fifth from left) congratulates the winners of the Melvindale Public Library bookmark contest winners, announced at the May 3 City Council meeting, including Sanaa Khan (left), third grade; Asra Ali, second grade; Natalia Bermudez, fifth grade; Timothy Tolley Jr., first grade; and Ana Ramirez, fourth grade.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
MELVINDALE – Creativity and imagination marked the winning bookmark entries announced by the Library Director Theresa Kieltyka at the May 3 City Council meeting.
“The library commissioners had a difficult time determining the winners because a number of the entries were quite creative, evidence that children still possess creative imaginations,” Kieltyka said.
The winning bookmarks will be permanently displayed in the Melvindale Public Library “hall of fame” with winning entries from previous years, Kieltyka said.
“These are really great,” Mayor Stacy Bazman said. “I couldn’t win this contest if I had to.”
The winning bookmark designs, which will be printed and distributed to the schools, were created by kindergartner Mohammed Aljabali, first-grader Timothy Tolley Jr., second-grader Asra Ali, third-grader Saana Khan, fourth-grader Ana Ramirez, fifth-grader Natalia Bermudez and sixth-grader Lucas Hammond.
Kieltyka said the bookmark contest has run every year for the last 20 years she has been with the library, and the tradition was established before 1997 when she was hired. Copies of the winning bookmarks are printed and available to library patrons.
“The kids are really excited about their submissions,” Kieltyka said. “We always do it during the month of March. We supply fliers to the schools with the entries.
“Normally by the end of March the kids come in individually to present them to us or the teachers will assign them as a class assignment and they will bring them in.”
She said this year they received more than 200 entries. A few students submit more that one design.
Khan said she went with a familiar design theme.
“I like flowers a lot, so I thought I would do a flower theme,” she said.
Khan also likes to read, and is currently working her way through “Oliver Twist.” Her favorite book is “The Magic Tree House.”
For more information about the Melvindale Public Library call 313-429-1090 or go to melvindale.org/community/public-library.
(Sue Suchyta can be reached at [email protected].)