(bright music) (lively gentle music) (lively gentle music continues) (lively gentle music continues) (audience clapping) - Good evening.

Welcome to WHRO's PBS Kids Writers Contest Award celebration.

We are here to celebrate and recognize our 2025 winners.

We received entries from all over Eastern Virginia, and our honorees here today, you are among the best.

Their winning stories survived three rounds of judging.

The first and second rounds led up to the top five in each grade level, which then headed to the Blue Ribbon panel, choosing this year's winners.

We have a few of our judges here today.

Would you like to wave your hand and be recognized?

Thank you so much.

(audience clapping) Many of our judges are members of the Youth Partnership of South Hampton Roads, and we really appreciate all of the help that they give us.

The writing contest has been around for 30 years.

Can you believe it?

It started in 1995 as the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest.

And in 2010 it was renamed the PBS Kids Writers and Illustrators Contest.

Let's take a look back in time.

(lively upbeat music) (lively upbeat music continues) We actually have a few former winners here with us today, and I'm going to call the year that they won.

In 2008, as part of Reading Rainbow, Ruben Todd IV.

(audience clapping) We have Sahaja.

She was a winner in 2016.

Sahaja.

(audience clapping) We have Soniya.

She was also a winner in 2016.

(audience clapping) And I didn't realize it, but Sahaja and Soniya were our two kindergarten winners that year.

I didn't realize it until I invited them.

We have Eli Casey 2018 winner.

(audience clapping) And if you ever watched any of our "GreenBeats, Be Like The Robots," it actually came from his story, he is the author.

(audience clapping) And he also won a silver tele.

We also have Madison who was a winner in 2020.

Madison.

(audience clapping) And we have Malaya Charles.

She's a 2022 and 2023 winner.

(audience clapping) Thank you guys.

For those of you who may not know, WHRO, we are owned by 21 school divisions.

Our contest continues because our senior leaders, our governing board and superintendents understand the importance of reading and creative writing.

So, with that said, and before we announce our winners, I would like to introduce to you the president and CEO of WHRO Public Media, Mr. Bert Schmidt.

(audience clapping) - Thank you, Martha.

You know, this is one of my favorite events of the year.

Martha hears the same speech every year 'cause I just love this event, to be able to get to read all of your stories, it just puts such a big smile on my face.

So first off, parents, thank you for raising amazing kids.

These are amazing stories they wrote this year.

And kids, thank you for making my day a little happier.

You know, when we get these stories, it's interesting, I've been doing this for a number of years yet, and you get some running themes.

And we have stories with fairies, we have stories with ghosts, we actually have a magic book that creates animals.

And speaking of animals, almost every other story had an animal in it this year.

We got kids that love animals.

We've got lots of birds, hippos, orangutans, octopus, clownfish, stray cats, bats.

Did you know there's 16 type of bats?

I learned that in one of these stories.

Lady Bugs, dogs, or is it a mushroom or a marshmallow?

Is it a dog or a marshmallow?

I'm not so sure, but it's one of these.

Turtles, monarch butterflies.

But there were three animals, and I actually learned something from these stories today that I didn't know.

So I had to actually Google these animals 'cause I didn't know what they were.

The first is an axolotl.

Do you know what that is?

- [Attendee] Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah, axolotl.

It doesn't look like a real animal to me, it looks like a cartoon.

But that's apparently in the salamander family.

I think it's the first time in all my years, I've been doing this for 18 years, I think it's our first axolotl.

Who wrote the axolotl story?

You did?

Thank you very much.

You helped me learn something today.

And I need to get back to the zoo because apparently this animal is at the zoo.

It's a Malayan tapir.

Oh, there it is.

It doesn't look like a real animal, sorry.

But apparently that's at our zoo.

It's a combination of a pig and an elephant.

And yes, the front half is black and the back half is white.

Is that a real animal?

It looks fake, but it is.

And now this last one I really was questioning, I'm not even sure how to pronounce it.

So is Olive here?

Olive?

Olive, you're olive?

Olive's creation in the story, don't show it yet, Eric, 'cause I want to... A mertigercorn, is that how we pronounce it?

Yes, a mertigercorn?

Okay, I had no idea.

A mertigercorn.

It's a combination of a mermaid, a tiger, and a unicorn.

This is mertigercorn.

I know, I know.

I don't think it really is real, but it was wonderful.

Thank you.

Because it just, again, I learned something new.

I had never seen that before in my life.

So I wanna thank again all of the great storytellers, all your great illustrations, it was so much fun.

And congratulations on being winners this year.

Again, thanks so much.

(audience clapping) - Thank you so much, Bert, for all of your support.

Now we received many wonderful stories and believe that more of them should be recognized.

So in addition to our first and second place winners, we have awarded several stories.

As honorable mention.

Please join me as we recognize and congratulate the following Honorable Mention winners.

First, we have Rosamor Hauris for her story, "Unicorn Loves Earth."

Rosamor is from Ocean Lakes Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

(audience clapping) Next we have Jane Wilda for her story, "The Lucky Dog."

Jane is from Suffolk.

(audience clapping) Next we have Grant Brown for his story, "The Boy With Two Faces."

Grant is from Hampton Roads Academy in Newport News.

(audience clapping) Next, we have Victoria White for her story, "Jackson and His New Friend."

Victoria is from Woodstock Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

(audience clapping) Next, we have Grace Dierberger, for her story, "Kindness Helps."

Grace is from First Baptist School in Fredericksburg.

(audience clapping) Next we have Brooklynn Mariana, Mariani, excuse me, for her story, "The Midnight Library."

Brooklynn is from Trantwood Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

(audience clapping) Next we have Lilly Roblero for her story, "Little Star Boy."

Lilly attends Simonsdale Elementary School in Portsmouth.

(audience clapping) Let's give all of our Honorable Mention winners a hand.

(audience clapping) And now, please join me as we introduce and congratulate WHRO's 2025 First and Second Place winners.

(audience clapping) And now, we're going to start with our kindergartners.

Our kindergarten, second place, Georgia Ames.

(audience clapping) Georgia, for her story, "Poppy Meets Poppy."

Georgia attends Larchmont Elementary School.

Georgia, come on up.

(audience clapping) You come on this side.

Come on this side so we can get a good look at you.

So Georgia, who did you bring with you today to help you celebrate?

- My friend Katie and my dad.

- Okay.

Now what do you like to do for fun?

- Well, I like to go to parties a lot.

- You like to go to parties?

Oh, you are a party girl, okay.

Well, you know, in your story, you wrote about two animals.

There were two different animals.

They had the same name.

- Yeah.

- And they were both named, what?

- Poppy.

What were those two animals?

- It was a hippo and an orangutan.

- Okay.

A hippo and an orangutan with the same name.

Well, congratulations, Georgia.

And here's your ribbon, your story, and your certificate.

You wanna turn it around so everybody can see?

There you go.

Woo.

(audience clapping) Thank you.

Our first place kindergarten is Kathryn Diefenderfer.

Kathryn, for her story, "A Bird Who Found the Perfect Home."

She is also from Larchmont Elementary School.

Come on up, Kathryn.

(audience clapping) You come on this side.

All right, come on up so the camera can see you.

All right.

Kathryn, who did you bring with you today?

- My mom, my brother, and my dad.

- [Martha] Okay.

I know they're proud of you.

What do you like to do for fun?

- I like to do art.

- You like to do art?

I can tell with those bright colors you had in your drawings.

Now, in your story, there was a little bird who was not happy with his home, right?

- Yes.

- So he went out to search for a new place to live.

Where did he find that perfect home?

- A cloud.

- On a cloud.

That was awesome.

Well, you know what?

The judges really liked your story and they enjoyed your drawings.

Thank you so much for writing a wonderful story, and here is your ribbon and your story.

(audience clapping) Okay.

Okay, now we're gonna go to first grade.

Second place is Nathaniel Mason, (audience clapping) for his story, "The Strays in Our Neighborhood."

Nathaniel attends Virginia Virtual Academy in Hampton.

Come on up, Nathaniel.

(audience clapping) Who did you bring with you to help you celebrate?

- My mom and my two sisters.

- [Martha] Okay.

What do you like to do for fun?

- Read.

- You like to read?

Ooh, I do too.

In your story, two children find strays that were out in the rain, and they decided to secretly take care of them.

Eventually they convinced their parents to let them do, what?

- Rescue the strays.

- Rescue the strays and keep them and adopt them, right?

Okay, can you remember the names of those strays?

- Little Patches and Tufus.

- Okay.

Well, you know what?

The judges really enjoyed your story, and we wanna congratulate you again.

Here's your copy of your story, your certificate and your ribbon.

Let's give Nathaniel a hand.

(audience clapping) Next we have, for first grade, our first place winner, Olive Thompson (audience clapping) for her story, "Oliver and The Magic Ink."

Olive attends Thalia Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

Come on up, Olive.

(audience clapping) Olive, who did you bring with you to help you celebrate?

- I brought my mom and my dad, and also my little sister.

- [Martha] Awesome.

What do you like to do for fun?

- I like to draw.

- You like to draw?

And you know, you had some really nice colors in there.

Now in your story, which was pretty interesting and creative, there was a sea creature who discovers that he has magic, what?

- Ink.

- Magic ink.

And he can do things with that ink.

How did he use his magic ink?

Did he use it for something bad?

How did he use his ink?

- He used it for something good and to help his friends.

- Yes, he did.

He helps his friends with his magic ink.

And you know what, the judges really enjoyed your story.

So thank you so much, and congratulations.

Here is your story and your ribbon.

(audience clapping) Okay, thank you.

Next we have our second grade, Eleanor Groff for her story, "Spot, the Little Brown Bat."

(audience clapping) Eleanor attends Groff Homeschool in Hampton.

Come on up, Eleanor.

(audience clapping) You can come on this side.

There you go.

Now, who did you bring with you to celebrate today?

- My dad, my mom and my brother.

- [Martha] Awesome.

And what do you like to do for fun?

- Write.

- [Martha] You like to write?

Awesome.

Now, in your story, there was a little bat and his mom, they were sad because something happened.

- Yeah, their tree got cut down, so they had to find a new home.

- Their tree got cut down and they had to find a new home.

But you know what?

Eventually, they got a new home.

Did they?

- Mm-hm.

- [Martha] Okay, that's very good.

And how did they get that new home?

- From a person they built a bat house for them.

- Awesome, awesome.

And the judges really enjoyed your story as well.

And so, here is a copy of your story, your ribbon, and your certificate.

Thank you so very much.

(audience clapping) Thank you.

Next, our first place for second grade is Alex Kaloydis for his story, "The Hunter and the Malayan Tapir."

(audience clapping) Alex attends North Landing Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

Come on up, Alex.

(audience clapping) Alex, who did you bring with you to help you celebrate?

- My mom, my dad, and my teacher.

- [Martha] Okay, let's turn around so we can all see you.

All right.

And what do you like to do for fun?

- Play video games.

- [Martha] Play video games?

Are you good at it?

- Yes.

- Oh, okay, he said that with confidence.

He's good at it.

So in your story, there was a hunter seeking out to find rare animals, right?

- Yes.

- He eventually finds a Malayan tapir and captures it.

But later, something happens.

What happens?

- The parents came in and threw the hunter into the river.

- They threw him in the river.

(audience chuckles) And you know what?

He decided not to hunt animals again.

(audience laughs) Alex, the judges really enjoyed your story.

And so, here is your ribbon, and your story and your certificate.

Thank you so much.

(audience clapping) Next we are going to third grade.

Second place, Daisy Sletten for her story, "Fairies Rock."

(audience clapping) Daisy attends Larchmont Elementary School in Norfolk.

Come on up, Daisy.

(audience clapping) Who did you bring with you-- - I brought my mom.

- You brought your mom?

Okay.

I know your mom is proud.

Now, what do you like to do for fun?

- I like to draw and do ballet.

- Oh, okay.

All right.

Now in your story, there was a shy fairy who starts a band with her friends.

And they decide to compete in a festival and get some really experience bands.

They were getting a little intimidated.

But eventually, they kept working hard with determination, what happened?

- And they won and they got to go to the festival.

- Okay, they won.

So determination works, right?

Okay, thank you so much, Daisy.

Here is your ribbon, and your story and certificate.

(audience clapping) Next we have Journey Hinton for her story, "Clara the Curious Kid."

(audience clapping) Journey attends St. Helena Elementary in Norfolk.

Come on up, Journey.

(audience clapping) Who did you bring with you today?

- I brought my mom, my mom's boyfriend, my grandma, and my teacher also came along too.

- Okay.

Everybody's so excited, yes.

Now, what do you like to do for fun?

- Sometimes I like to play chess or watch a video.

- Play chess.

Mm.

Wow, okay.

That's wonderful.

Now, in your story, it was a little girl who liked science.

Turn around so we'll get to see you.

There you go.

In your story, a little girl, she really likes science.

And so while searching for her lost pet, she gets a little distracted and she start discovering cool things.

And at every time she discovers one thing, she finds something else to discover.

So she decided to get her science tools.

What tools did she use?

- She used a magnifying glass, a microscope, a telescope, her glasses.

- [Martha] Wow.

- [Journey] There's one... - That's okay, I think that's enough.

What do you think?

Yes, wonderful.

And I like science too as well.

But you know, she used these tools to observe so many wonderful cool things in nature.

So thank you so much, Journey, for writing such a wonderful story.

And the judges really enjoyed it.

Here's your ribbon, your book, and your certificate.

- Thank you.

(audience clapping) - Next, we have our fourth grade.

Second place, Izzy Drake, for her story, "Toasty the Marshmallow."

(audience clapping) Izzy attends Magruder Elementary School in Williamsburg, but it's York County Schools.

Come on up, Izzy.

(audience clapping) Now Izzy, who did you bring with you today to help you celebrate?

- My mom, my dad, and my brother.

- Okay, your mom, your dad and your brother?

- Mm-hm.

- [Martha] Okay.

Izzy, what do you like to do for fun?

- I like baking.

- Baking?

Oh my goodness.

What do you like to bake?

- Stuff with chocolate in it.

- Okay.

Okay.

Well, in your story, which I thought was pretty creative, it was a marshmallow that comes to life and is running for his life because he does not want to be roasted and eaten.

But at the end of the story, it's pretty creative.

Can you tell them what the end of the story is like?

It was just a dream and he was actually a dog, but he had turned into a marshmallow dog.

(audience chuckles) - Yes, I thought that was pretty creative.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Izzy.

Here's your ribbon, your book, and your certificate.

(audience clapping) Now first place, Ryleigh Farmer (audience clapping) for her story, "Flightless Feathers."

Ryleigh also attends Magruder Elementary in Williamsburg, York County Schools.

Come on up, Ryleigh.

(audience clapping) Okay, I'm gonna have to get up a little bit.

Okay.

Who did you bring to help you celebrate?

- Today, I'm here with my mom, my brother, and my dad, and I am also here with my friend, Izzy.

- Okay.

Yes, because you guys are in the same class, right?

All right.

Now what do you like to do for fun?

- For fun, I usually like to go outside and explore things because it usually gives me inspiration for stories.

- All right, I love it.

Now in your story, there was a bird who was having trouble learning how to fly.

So I guess she took so long, her flock decided to fly south without her.

But she keeps working hard.

And eventually, what happens?

- She is able to catch up with her flock.

- She learns to fly really well and she catches up with her flock.

That was very creative, Ryleigh, thank you so much.

And here's your ribbon, and your certificate, and your story.

(audience clapping) Now we have fifth grade.

Fifth grade, second place is Zenaida Impat for her "Cherry Blossom Ghost."

Zenaida attends St. Pius Catholic School in Norfolk.

(audience clapping) Come on up, Zenaida.

So Zenaida, who did you bring with you to help you celebrate?

- My mom, my little sister and my dad.

- [Martha] Okay.

What do you like to do for fun?

- I like drawing.

- You like drawing?

We have quite a few artists in here.

So in your story, a girl meets a new friend in a garden.

They become really good friends, they talk a lot.

And as time go on, she realizes something about her new friend.

Tell me what the situation it is with her new friend.

- So the night before, a fire happened in the garden, she had a dream saying not to go to the garden for a week.

Then her friend said something weird and then she then disappeared.

- So she ended up being what?

- A ghost.

- A ghost.

But she saved her from the fire, didn't she?

All right.

What a wonderful story.

Here is your story and your ribbon and your certificate.

(audience clapping) And our first place for fifth grade is Azalea Davis for her story, "The Magic Sketchbook."

Azalea is from Hunter B. Andrews Elementary School in Hampton.

Come on up, Azalea.

(audience clapping) Azalea, who did you bring here with you to help you celebrate?

- My mom, my dad, my little brother and my teacher.

- Okay.

What do you like to do for fun?

- I like to fight and I like to run.

- Okay, you like to run?

Oh, are you fast?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

You think I could beat you?

- No.

- Oh, okay.

Okay.

Now azalea, in your story, a girl purchases a sketchbook, and she finds that everything that she sketches in that book comes to life.

So she starts drawing everything, money or clothes, anything she could think of.

But then soon something goes terribly wrong.

Can you help us, tell us about what happened?

She draws a big scary dragon and it starts damaging the city.

- [Martha] Yes.

And what did she do to bring things back to normal?

- She threw away the picture and destroyed it.

- She ripped it up, didn't she?

Made sure nobody else could find that sketchbook.

Yes, that was a very creative story, Azalea.

And I want to give you your ribbon, your book, and your certificate.

(audience clapping) Thank you so much.

Now our writer's contest allows for our students to be as creative as they can be, choosing their own topics.

However, we also give students the opportunity to write an environmental story, which is part of our Batten Environmental Initiative.

So at this time, can you please help us recognize and congratulate the following students for being our overall Batten Environmental winners.

First, we have Ethan Zhang (audience clapping) for his story, "Save The Turtles."

Ethan attends Stratford School in Virginia Beach.

Come on up, Ethan.

(audience clapping) Ethan is our kindergarten and first place winner.

Who did you bring with you today?

- My mom and my dad, and my sister.

- [Martha] Okay.

Ethan, what do you like to do for fun?

- Do tricks with my toys.

- Okay.

Now in your story, there's a turtle who's tangled up in plastic bag.

- Yes.

- And a man finds him and takes him where?

- To the hospital.

- Takes him to the hospital, and have the bag removed, right?

- Yes.

- Yes.

And do you have a message for everyone?

Do not do what?

- Do not put trash in the ocean.

- All right, did you hear that?

Okay.

(audience clapping) Do not put trash in the ocean.

Well, Ethan, the judges love your story.

Here's your certificate, and your book, and your ribbon.

(audience clapping) And for our overall environmental winner for second and third grade, we have Annie Havener for her story, "Milkweed Elementary."

Annie attends Larnchmont Elementary School in Norfolk.

Come on up, Annie.

(audience clapping) Now Annie, who did you bring with you today?

- My mom, dad and sister.

- [Martha] Mom, dad, and sister, okay.

What do you like to do for fun?

- I like to mix foods, paints, and I like to write and read.

- Okay.

We have a lot of writers and readers in here, and artists, okay.

In your story, it's about an elementary school who had a milkweed garden, didn't they?

And it attract the monarch butterflies.

But one day the garden got cut down.

And they were so upset, so the children, what did they do?

- They wrote letters to the city's mayor and to tell them about, to tell her about the milkweed getting cut down.

- Okay.

And they got the attention of the mayor, didn't he?

Yes, they did.

It worked.

And so the mayor, the mayor helped them out, didn't she?

Helped them plant milkweeds back.

Did she give them the key to the city?

Or maybe did I make that up?

Maybe I made that up.

It seemed like it goes with it.

Well, you know what, Annie, that was a wonderful story.

The judges really enjoyed reading it.

And I can tell that you also like to draw.

So here is your ribbon, your book, and your certificate.

Thank you so much.

(audience clapping) Next we have our overall winner for grades four and five.

Julia Santos for her story, 'A dive into Hope."

Julia attends Glenwood Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

Come on up, Julia.

(audience clapping) Julia, who did you bring with you to help you celebrate?

- My mom and my dad?

- [Martha] Okay, what do you like to do for fun?

- Sketch or play with my friends.

- Sketch and play with your friends.

Another artist.

Now, in your story, a group of girls went down to a pool to go swimming.

But when they went there, they realized that the water everywhere was what?

- Polluted.

- It was polluted.

So they teamed up together and started an organization, to do what?

- To help clean the pool.

- [Martha] To help clean the pool.

And they cleaned the water, didn't they?

- [Julia] Yeah.

- Yes, they did.

So this is another story about keeping our water clean.

Well, you know, Julia, the judges really enjoyed your story, so I want to thank you for sharing it with us.

Here's your ribbon, your story, and your certificate.

(audience clapping) Thank you.

Let's give our first, second, and honorable mention winners a big hand.

(audience clapping) And our special guest.

I wanna thank our wonderful, wonderful WHRO staff.

It was collaborative effort, our education staff, our production staff, our marketing departments who worked tirelessly together to help make this event possible.

Also, I wanna thank our amazing volunteers because I don't wanna leave anyone out.

We had so many people that helped out with this.

Now let's give all of you a hand.

Moms, dads, family, friends, teachers, school leaders, give yourselves a hand (audience clapping) because you know, we will not be able to make this program possible without your support.

So I wanna thank you so much.

So with that said, I want you to have a wonderful evening, and I hope to see you next year.

Take care and good night.

(audience clapping) (lively bright music)