Insight

              Secretary White announces “Essays About Lincoln” winners
January/February
2009
A Newsletter from the Illinois State Library — Jesse White, Secretary of State & State Librarian
in this issue
Lincoln Esssay Contest
winners
Upcoming events for library
professionals
Family Reading Night 2008
Major “weeding” operation
under way at ISL
Try-It! Illinois
Secretary of State Jesse White has
announced the winners of a statewide
essay contest for students as part of the
Abraham Lincoln Birthday Bicentennial
celebration in February. Participants of
“Essays About Lincoln” were asked to
write a modern-day version of Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address in 300 words or
less, allowing students to share their
personal thoughts and dreams about
where the United States is as a nation,
and their ideals for freedom, democra-cy
and equal opportunity.
The Illinois Center for the Book, for
which Secretary White serves as hon-orary
chair, provided judges for the
contest, who selected first-, second-and
third-place winners in three grade
categories. Winners will attend an
awards presentation in Springfield
where they will read their essays and
tour the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Museum. Winners also will receive a
plaque and a cash award: $200-first
place, $150-second place and $100-
third place. Winning essays will be
published in the 2009-2010 Illinois
Blue Book, published by the Secretary
of State’s office.
The Illinois State Library, the Illinois
State Archives and the Illinois State
Board of Education co-sponsored the
essay contest along with the Illinois
Center for the Book. The Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and
the Lincoln Illinois Bicentennial
Commission endorsed the contest. The
Lincoln Illinois Bicentennial
Commission awarded a $5,000 grant to
the State Library to pay for the contest.
Winning essays are available at
www.illinois centerforthrbook.org/
projectsa.html.
10 YEARS AGO ... Nearly 10 years ago on April 15, 1999, during National Library Week,
an Illinois state senator named Barack Obama presented a signed copy of his book, Dreams
From My Father, to Secretary of State Jesse White and then-State Library Director Jean
Wilkins for the State Library’s
Illinois Authors Collection. The
book is housed in the library’s
first-floor Illinois Authors Reading
Room, and a plaque commemo-rating
the event was recently
placed in the room. We at the
Illinois State Library are very
proud of this link to Obama’s
Illinois roots and wish President
Obama our very best.
“Essays About Lincoln” Winners
Level I (grades 5-6)
First place: June Kreml
Cornerstone Christian School, Caseyville
Second place: Grace Elizabeth Moran
Earl Hanson Elementary, Rock Island
Third place: Summer Wu
(individual entry) Lake Forest
Level II (grades 7-8)
First place: Bryce Peters
Independence Jr. High School,
Palos Heights
Second place: Sara Serritos
St. Daniel the Prophet School, Chicago
Third place: Evan R. King
Paxton Buckley Loda Jr. High, Paxton
Level III (grades 9-12)
First place: Emiko Gomez
St. Scholastica Academy, Chicago
Second place: Teresa Cooper
Schlarman High School, Danville
Third place: Kate Pond
Cisne High School, Cisne
★ ★ ★ ★ ★★★★★★ ★ ★★★ ★★
Birthday Bicentennial
1809 2009
Abraham Lincoln
Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State