Riverside County Office of Education
3939 Thirteenth Street
Riverside, California 92501 | Map
(951) 826-6530
Indio Office
47-110 Calhoun Street
Indio, California 92201 | Map
(760) 863-3000
Murrieta Office
24980 Las Brisas Road
Murrieta, California 92562 | Map
(951) 600-5651
Governmental Relations Office 1121 L Street, Suite 807
Sacramento, California 95814 | Map
(916) 325-1162
Newsroom
Young Writers’ Recognition event
The Riverside County Office of Education and the Inland Empire Reading Council have announced the 2011 Young Writer Awards. An evening recognition event honored the exceptional writing of kindergarten through eighth grade students in Riverside County schools.
This year the Young Author’s Recognition Program featured two outstanding local authors, Rodonna Van Pelt and Torrey Mahall. Van Pelt, an accomplished artist and now children’s author, retired from Riverside County Office of Education to pursue a second career in art and writing. She discussed writing experiences and her book, "How Do You Tame a Dandelion?" Student author Torrey Mahall received the Reading Council's Young Writer’s Award. She shared her love of writing with other student writers in the audience and provided a glimpse into her first published book, "The Search for the Golden Mission."
All submitted student work was displayed in the RCOE Conference Center lobby for visitors to read and enjoy. Each student author was gifted with a new book from IERC and a writer’s journal for recording new ideas and experiences from RCOE. All students who submitted a selection were honored, and students whose work was awarded “Best of Category” received a special recognition medal.
Students were challenged to continue a routine of reading and writing during their summer vacation. Parents were also encouraged to read each day with their children, creating not only a habit of reading, but also family time together, because learning does not happen only in school.
Parents were reminded that everyday activities such as playing word or letter games while riding in the car, writing shopping lists or looking for food items at the grocery store can engage children and increase their skills while also making everyday family activities more fun and less stressful.
For information contact: Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199 rpeoples@rcoe.us
