Erik Ramstad Middle School student Tessia Samuelson created a library fairy for her award-winning video promoting summer reading.
"I was the library fairy in the video," said Tessia, who just completed the seventh grade at the school. "I used a pointer stick as my wand."
"It is a really cute video," said Minot Public Library children's librarian Paulette Nelson.
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Andrea Johnson/MDN
Tessia Samuelson, 13, won the North Dakota “Teen Video Challenge” contest with a library fairy video. The contest was sponsored by the North Dakota State Library and the Collaborative Library Program.
Tessia made her video, which was uploaded to YouTube and can be found at (www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1uIbmi0wdA&feature=relmfu), with the help of classmates Zach Krill and Michaela Larson, who acted in the video. Some other Ramstad students also appear in the video, which Tessia recorded on a flip video camera and edited using iMovie software.
Tessia first found out about the contest from her keyboarding teacher, Sandi Larson, and decided it would be fun to enter.
The "Teen Video Challenge" contest was sponsored by the North Dakota State Library and the Collaborative Library Program and drew entrants from across the state. It had the theme "Own the Night." Other states also have their own video contests and contest winners from other states can be found on YouTube as well. The goal of the contest is to encourage kids to develop video skills, have fun, and encourage other North Dakota teens to use their libraries all summer long.
Tessia said she likes reading and her favorite authors are Gary Paulsen and Ben Mikaelsen.
Tessia won a $275 prize and the Minot Public Library, her home library, won a $150 prize.
The Minot Public Library's summer reading program, with activities for school-age kids, will kick off with a musical program at 1 p.m. June 4 at the Minot Municipal Auditorium featuring Nashville group "The Groove Club," said Nelson. The theme is "Catch a Dream at Your Library," said Nelson. Children who read a minimum of 30 minutes per week will be eligible for weekly drawings that will be held throughout the summer. Children signing up for the program will be given a reading log to keep track of the time they spend reading each week. They will also be given one chance to win for each symbol crossed off the log. Children will also be given a chance to win each time they check out materials.
Drawings will be held weekly throughout the summer for prizes. A Family Zoo pass and various gift cards will be given away as grand prizes.
The library will also host programs for elementary age children throughout the summer. On June 14 at 2 p.m., the activity will be "Night Sky" and will include a look at the moon and the constellations.
Kids will learn about Creatures of the Night at 2 p.m. June 21 and will do activities with owls and bats.
The activity at 2 p.m. on June 28 will be "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Firefly," and will include firefly activities.
Kids will make dream catchers and learn the Native American legends surrounding them at the activity at 2 p.m. on July 12.
Kids will make their own monsters during the activity at 2 p.m. July 19, where the theme will be "Do the Monster Mash."
The last activity will be a camp-out at 2 p.m. July 26 and will include special camping activities.
The program will conclude at 10 a.m. on Aug 9 with a party celebrating "Super Duper Reading Fun Day" at the South Hill Complex. That event will include games, prizes, snacks and more. It will be co-sponsored by the Minot Recreation Commission.
The teens and tweens summer reading program for kids ages 11 to 18 will start June 4 and end July 14. Reading logs will be accepted until Aug. 9. Participants who read 1,800 minutes during those weeks will receive a $10 gift card to a local bookstore when they are finished. Participants may read any age-appropriate book and/or magazines. Teen summer programs will also take place throughout the summer. They are for students ages 11 to 17. The schedule for that as well as for the summer reading program can be found on the Minot Public Library
website at