Judge Memorial CHS students take top honors in statewide literature contest

SALT LAKE CITY — Three Judge Memorial Catholic High School students swept the awards of the statewide Letters About Literature contest sponsored by the Library of Congress and the Utah Center for the Book, an affiliate of the National Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.

In Level 3, grades 9-12, sophomore Paul Oliver placed first, winning $100; freshman Bryn Petron placed second and won $50; and sophomore Emily Thompson placed third and won $25.

"Most years, we have one student from Judge Memorial who places in the top three, but these three students were the top three out of 700 students in the state," said Jeff Baird, Judge Memorial English teacher.

"I think it is really cool that the three winners were all from Judge and from Mr. Baird’s class because that shows that he is a great writing teacher," said Oliver.

Baird requires his students to enter the contest because he wants them to think about how literature can impact the kind of person they can become and that is what this contest encourages students to do, he said.

To enter the contest, the students write a reflective letter to an author, living or dead, to explain how the author’s work impacted them. The letters are sent to the National Center for the Book. The top 50 letters from each state are selected and sent back to the state level, and from there each state determines its winners.

Oliver’s letter will go on to compete against the other states’ winners.

The students also write about what strengths or flaws they share with a character, or if the conflict or setting mirrored their lives in some way. Also, what the book showed them about their world, why the book was meaningful to them and what memories or experiences may have come about as a result of the book, or how the characters helped them to understand a past experience.

Oliver wrote to Bryce Courtenay, author of "The Power of One." His book is about Hitler’s 1939 shadow of apartheid in South Africa. A boy called Peekay, whose childhood is marked by humiliation and abandonment, survives through the power of words, the power to transform lives and the power of one.

"I liked the overall message of the book about being confident and how you can overcome anything just by your own spirit," Oliver said. "I think the message of the book is good; it helps you make it through something hard or difficult."

Petron chose a book that helped her through her mother’s illness. Mitch Albom’s "Tuesdays with Morrie." This is the true story about the time Albom spent with his spiritual mentor, sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, who at the time was dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"I chose this book because my mom was going through chemotherapy and it talked about Morrie, who was going through something that ended up being fatal," said Petron. "But the book gave me life lessons on how to get through her illness and it gave me a lot of good advice on all aspects of life."

Thompson also chose a book about life and childhood concerns: "Where the Sidewalk Ends," by Shel Silverstein.

"Even though this book is about children’s poetry, if you read into it there are complex messages about life that can help you through various situations," Thompson said. "My parents went through a pretty hard divorce so it helped me because it was simple, fun poetry and I was able to go to a happier place. I really enjoy his work."

"All three are really good students and this contest is a great validation," said Baird.