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| Katie Shanks’ book cover |
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| Andrea O’Brines’ book cover |
PULLMAN, Wash.Inspired by their own childhoods, two teachers-to-be have won Inga Kromann Medal Awards from Washington State University for writing and illustrating children’s books.
Elementary education majors Katie Shanks and Andrea O’Brine were presented the awards by Judy Nichols Mitchell, dean of the WSU College of Education.
Shanks wrote “Morning Chores,” inspired by her memories of growing up on a farm. She is the daughter of Bill and Becky Shanks of Friday Harbor. Andrea O’Brine’s “One Hug, One Kiss” is about a little girl visiting her father in a penitentiary. Her parents are Cathy Alford and Larry O’Brine of Ferndale.
The winners receive $50 Bookie gift certificates and bound copies of their books. Copies will also be provided to WSU’s Brain Education Library and to Kromann, a retired faculty member who divides her time between Seattle and the Tucson area.
This is the sixth year that the College of Education has held a children’s book contest for its Pullman students. For the past two years, the competition has been named for, and sponsored by Kromann. The literacy education expert retired in 2000, two years before Assistant Professor Jane Kelley joined the Department of Teaching & Learning faculty and assigned each student in her Survey of Children’s Literature class to create a book. That assignment led to the annual awards.
This year’s judges were Amy Gordon and Lorna Bruya, teachers at Pullman’s Sunnyside Elementary. They also gave “honor awards” to contestants Melissa Figge, Jacqueline Nuha and Ingrid Kraig.
Note to Editors: The winner students can be reached by contacting Julie Titone, director of communications, WSU College of Education, at jtitone@wsu.edu or 509-335-6850.
