Port Elgin Regional School grade 5 student Annabelle Dickson is a second-time winner of the Anglophone East School District’s Ryan Gunn Write for Fun book competition, joining her sister Penelope as a multi-year winner of the prize. The Port Elgin school library now has five books on its shelves written and illustrated independently by the Dickson sisters.
Hear this story as reported on Tantramar Report:
The most recent addition is this year’s winner, ‘The Cookie Can Crumble’, by Annabelle Dickson. “It’s about a cat who is kind of annoyed about some stuff,” says Annabelle, “but he doesn’t realize how careless he’s being about some things.”
The Ryan Gunn program is an independent enrichment project, explains coordinator Ginny Hill. “It’s for the children that love to write,” says Hill. “It gives them an outlet, and it kind of spurs some of them on to write more.”
Both Penelope and Annabelle want to be authors when they grow up, says proud parent Marianne Vella. And so the district’s Ryan Gunn competition ”is an exciting opportunity for them.”
Annabelle says she is fascinated by the idea that she can make “markings on a piece of paper, and then people understand what they mean, and it can make them feel stuff.”
Penny Dickson says she’s glad that the judges of the Ryan Gunn competition, who are New Brunswick authors themselves, were able to “see how much of work I put into the stories. And I’m grateful that they recognize mine are good,” says Penny.
“I love reading stories,” she says, “and I think it’s really cool how meaningful they can be, and the fact that I can make them is really nice.”
The Ryan Gunn project is made possible through coordination efforts from teachers in schools across the Anglophone East District. In fast, Ginny Hill says without teachers–like Port Elgin’s Maria Beltz–stepping in to help, schools are not able to participate.
Parent Robert Dickson is proud of his daughters, and also credits the staff at the Port Elgin school with fostering a supportive environment for their creativity to flourish. “They’re truly invested in the kids here,” he says. “It’s just really magical to see.”
