Winners of the Grade 7 - 11 Story Writing Contest
| First Place | Second Place | Third Place |

Literacy is important to me for two opposite but equally important reasons. The first involves interacting with reality, the other, escaping from it. The practical applications of being able to read and write are almost boundless. From reading cookbooks to signing insurance forms, literacy is an invaluable commodity in today's world.

The ability to read is vital to keeping me in touch with the rest of the world. I can get up-to-date information on local affairs from the newspapers, or surf the web for a worldwide perspective. It also enables me to do research and gain in-depth knowledge on a variety of subjects from a simple trip to the library.

Reading and writing is fundamental to a proper education. With reading comes knowledge from the myriad topics and areas of study, as well as the keys that unlock doors of opportunities for future careers.

Through writing letters and even e-mail, I can stay in touch with friends I've made across the world, keeping in contact even though distances keep us apart. These are all ways in which literacy allows me to interact with the world around me.

Reading also lets me escape from the outside world by drawing me into the worlds of fiction, the past, future, and all that lies between.

I can enjoy a good murder mystery by Agatha Christie to pass the time on a long trip, or read the next few chapters of the Star Wars novel by my bed. In either case, I can leave this world - with its worries, cares, and responsibilities - behind and enter one made by the words and dreams of the author, a world where anything and everything is possible, so long as you can imagine it.

Poetry is a facet of literacy that I feel is the greatest thing writing allows me to do. I cherish being able to express my thoughts, my feelings, my emotions in such a manner as to make the reader think as I think, feel as I feel, understand at least briefly how I see the world.

To sum this all up, literacy forges a connection between me and the world, and gives that connection an inestimable value. Literacy, and the medium of the written word, is a fundamental pillar of our existence, one that everyone should be able to take advantage of.

There are various reasons why I value literacy. Literacy is important to have because you need it for whatever you do in life. Being able to read and write is something you will always have, no matter what happens. You can use your gift of literacy in many unique ways to excel in all areas of the curriculum. Of course, there are always a few people who have the ability that choose not to use it. I am not saying that you have to have a gift to be literate, it means you will work a little harder to achieve it. But believe me, you can succeed if you persevere.

Reading and writing enables you to communicate successfully with everyone all over the world. In today's society being literate is more essential than ever. Students use computers for typing assignments, e-mailing, seeking information on an encyclopedia and just browsing the web to fill their minds with knowledge. Practically everyone today, such as engineers, teachers, dentists and cartoonists use computers to do their job.

Being literate is important to me. When I was in kindergarten, I read my first which made me exceptionally proud. When I was six years old, I started to write journal entries to record things about my personal life. On summer vacations, I kept a diary about my experiences in new places. These memories will be cherished forever. When I read a novel, it gives me a broader view of what the world is like. Reading any print material affects the quality of my writing.

To perform everyday tasks, you need to be able to read and understand the text. An avid reader opens many exciting doors to the future. Literacy is meaningful for all citizens in our global community.

To me literacy is the ability to read, write, and use computers. I find it difficult to imagine living in today's society without these abilities.

As a younger child I despised reading and writing. When I was in grade five, my teacher would read books to us when we had all our work done. I began to appreciate these times, but it wasn't until the sixth grade that I discovered reading. I began to read books by the bundles. I would escape for hours with the characters and their lives. Books were my haven.

Being literate has enabled me to do well in school. Textbooks contain much interesting information. I learn something new every time I pick up a book.

I love to write. Language is one of my favorite subjects. I get to research things, people, and places that I don't really know much about. Once I have attained my new knowledge I can share it with others. The real thrill found in writing is knowing that other people enjoy what you have written. A lot of people have commented that they love my stories and encourage me to write more. Even when I began to really enjoy reading and writing, I hated poetry. Now I love poetry. Whenever I see a poem I like I copy it off and put in on a bulletin board I have in my room so that I can read it whenever I feel like it.

Recently my grandfather died. Normally I wouldn't even bother reading sympathy cards. I sat down and read almost all the cards my family received. Two verses really struck me so I copied them off. Those verses really helped me accept my grandfather's death. Now when I look at my bulletin board and recognize the paper they are written on I remember just how great my grandfather was.

The computer is one of the most important tools in education. I always use the computer to do my research or to type my assignments. The Internet has links all over the world so you can usually find up-to-date information on almost anything. It is a great research source. Word processing programs have tools to check spelling and grammar, great aids for those of us who are poor at spelling.

Literacy plays a major role in my life. If I could not read or write I wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things that I enjoy most in life. I would surely die of boredom. If I couldn't read, I wouldn't know what I was eating or if I was endangering myself. A really good job would be hard to come by and it would be extremely difficult to determine who was cheating you. Life as an illiterate person must be very long and dull.