This world we live in needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, is what infuses human hearts with joy/Este mundo en que vivimos tiene necesidad de la belleza para no caer en la desesperanza. La belleza, como la verdad, es quien pone alegría en el corazón de los hombres - Pope Saint Paul VI, 8 Dec 1965
Way back at the beginning of the school year, A. K. Smiley Public Library had a bookmark contest. Unbeknown to most of us, Samantha in 3rd grade saw the flyer and said to herself, “I would like to do this. If I win I can inspire other kids to make their own bookmarks and read.” Last week, at morning assembly, the school learned that Samantha had won first place in her age category.
"Artists," Pope Francis said to a group of artists in December, 2020, "in a special way are guardians of beauty in our world." Artists, he continued, are “capable of transmitting truth and beauty.” This is good because art can “instill joy in human hearts.” This is so true, and Samantha’s bookmark is both a work of beauty and inspiring.
Earlier this week I was able to sit down with Samantha to learn how her winning design came about. Samantha found it really fun designing the bookmark and her choice of colors, words, and images was a combination of her favorites and what she thought other kids would also like. For example the words “respect,” “ecstatic,” “awesome,” “determined” she used inside the large word READ are words that inspire her and she hoped they would inspire other kids as well. The images between the word READ are what she thought kids would find fun and like, while the background is blue because that’s her favorite color.
It was really fun making the bookmark, Samantha said, “because to design a bookmark is for pages and I like to read.”
All 6 winning bookmarks, including Samantha’s, will be available at Smiley Library starting Tues, 15 February 2022, until they are gone.
Showcasing SHA talent: The Beatrix Potter book Isabel in 7th grade drew is awesome. All it needs is a cool bookmark.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
4th Grade Aide
Jr. High ELA Aide