Middletown Public Schools is excited to announce that Erioluwa Shokunbi, a fifth grader at Macdonough Elementary School, has been named the Top Prize Winner in the Elementary School category of UConn's 2024 Letters About Literature Contest.
Erioluwa's outstanding achievement comes as part of the 31st annual contest, co-sponsored by UConn’s Neag School of Education, Department of English, and Connecticut Writing Project (CWP). The contest invites Connecticut students from grades four through twelve to read a text and write a letter to the author (dead or alive) about how the text personally affected them. Erioluwa’s submission stood out among 878 entries from students across Connecticut.
Erioluwa emerged as one of the nine winners, with three winners selected from each grade-level category. As the Top Prize Winner in the Elementary School category, Erioluwa will receive a $200 gift card and will be honored at an awards ceremony later this spring.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Alberto Vázquez Matos, expressed his pride in Erioluwa's accomplishment, stating, "Erioluwa's insightful essay exemplifies not only her skills as a writer, but also as a thoughtful learner. Erioluwa's reflections on the difference between independence and self-reliance, along with her newfound appreciation for the roles that others play in our lives, highlight her wisdom beyond her years. We are proud of her achievement and look forward to celebrating her continued success."
The Letters About Literature contest is an annual event that encourages students to engage with literature and express their reflections. Middletown Public Schools is committed to fostering a love of reading and writing among its students and is proud to see Erioluwa's success highlight the importance of these skills.
To ready Erioluwa Shokunbi's Winning Letter, please click here.
To learn more about the contest and to view the other winning students/schools, please click here.