Students from Los Angeles and Orange counties were among those honored as California State Student Authors during a statewide celebration in Sacramento, state education officials announced Friday.
The event, hosted Monday by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the California Department of Education, highlighted student writers whose published works explore themes including belonging, curiosity, bullying and science fiction.
The honorees from Los Angeles and Orange counties were:
— Zinuo Cai of Suzanne Middle School in Walnut;
— Sonata Chi of Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights;
— Emmanuel Salazar Lira of Norwalk High School;
— Sailee Charlu of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana;
— Helena Donato-Sapp of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana; and
— Samantha Wu of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana.
The students read excerpts from their work during the event, which also included remarks from National Writing Project Executive Director Tanya Baker and author Sandra Cisneros.
“There is a deep connection between writing and reading, and this is another way for us to help remind other students in our state about the importance of literacy and reading,” Superintendent Thurmond said in a statement. “We often say that when you learn to read, you read to learn everything and anything. We want California students to develop a love for reading, and we think that writing can be an important part of that.”
State officials said the recognition is part of broader efforts to promote literacy and student engagement, with a focus on helping students achieve reading proficiency by third grade and full literacy by the time they graduate from high school.