Young authors write with flair
Manal, this year's Gabilan winner, was born in Eritrea to a family of Sudanese refugees
Young authors write with flair
4,000 pupils enter Steinbeck Center program
By NICK RAHAIM
The Salinas Californian
"The Red Pony" is a stark story, in which author and Salinas native John Steinbeck pulled no punches.
The deceptively simple tale describes a boy growing up on his father's farm in the hills above Salinas and receiving the gift of a pony to raise.
For the past six years, leaders at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas have used the classic novella to inspire middle-school students to build their own writing skills. The nine top performers of this year's program were recognized Saturday at the Monterey Peninsula College Amphitheater.
"Parents said the event really helps their kids' confidence," said Andrea Purl, National Steinbeck Center Education Coordinator. "(The program) helps students feel that they really are writers."
More than 4,000 middle school students from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties and Solon, Iowa, took part in the Steinbeck Young Authors Program this spring. Teachers received training and offered a 16-lesson curriculum on the novella, then chose a total 95 students to compete April 4 at the National Steinbeck Center. Students heard from speakers, drafted essays about the book and then worked with personal writing coaches to create a final version for submission to judges.
"The one-on-one interaction with the writing coaches really helped the kids," Purl said. "It shows the students the community really cares about them and their future."
Students this year wrote essays attempting to persuade the character Carl Tiflin, the boy's father, either to buy his son Jody a new horse or let things be.
Two of Saturday's first-place winners, Michael Preston and Manal Goumma, argued against a new animal, believing the beloved pony would be impossible to replace.
"They had a sibling-like relationship," said Manal. "If you lost a sibling, you would not want a new one."
Fellow winner Ashley Kwak, on the other hand, thought the happiness Jody received from his red pony warranted another after its death.
The three award categories are based on students' overall writing levels. Students with proficient or advanced English writing abilities qualify for the Jody Award.
The Gabilan Award is for students making progress toward proficiency. Manal, this year's Gabilan winner, was born in Eritrea to a family of Sudanese refugees and moved to the United States seven years ago.
"I was not expecting her to win, but I was not surprised," said Hamdan Goumma, her father. "Her teachers have always told me her writing was good - and she takes a lot of my budget buying books."
Students who speak English as a second language qualify for the Billy Buck Award. Ashley, this year's winner, started learning English when she emigrated from South Korea in 2004.
Purl says program organizers hope to expand the curriculum county-wide and possibly nationally within a few years. Participation has increased from 1,500 students in 2006 to more than 4,000 this year.
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