WGTE Pressroom

Press Releases
For additional information concerning any of these press releases please contact
Jen Homier 419-380-4655.

Toledo, OH –WGTE Public Media proudly announces the winners of the 14th Annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. Over 300 children from the WGTE TV viewing area wrote and illustrated storybooks.

The Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest was open to children in kindergarten, first, second and third grades. Each grade level was judged separately by a panel of educators, and entries were judged on originality, creative expression, storytelling and integration of text and illustrations.

The 2008 roster of winners includes:

First Place: Natalie Nagel, Toledo, OH

Second Place: Brendan Meehan, Pemberville, OH

Third Place: Maheen Haq, Perrysburg, OH

First Place: Elizabeth Ghareeb, Temperence, MI

Second Place: Julia Schrameck, Toledo, OH

Third Place: Noah C. Fulcomer, Bluffton, OH

First Place: Logan Kempf, Mount Cory, OH

Second Place: Muna Farhan, Toledo, OH

Third Place: Khalan Tien Kim Le, Toledo, OH

First Place: Madison Spears, Temperance, MI

Second Place: Ashley Fallon, Newport, MI

Third Place: Sarah Smidi, Toledo, OH

WGTE Public Media held an appreciation party at our studios on Saturday, April 12 honoring all of the winners and entrants of the 2008 contest. All entrants received a certificate of recognition signed by series host LeVar Burton. The first place winners in each grade level will be sent on to the national contest. National winners will be announced in June 2008.

WGTE Public Media (The Public Broadcasting Foundation of Northwest Ohio) is a non-profit organization providing quality broadcasting and educational resources to Northwest and West Central Ohio and Southeast Michigan for more than 50 years. WGTE Public Media operates WGTE TV, Toledo; WGTE FM 91.3, Toledo; WGLE FM 90.7, Lima; WGBE FM 90.9, Bryan; WGDE FM 91.9, Defiance; wgte.org; The Educational Resource Center; and The Early Learning and Outreach Center.

The roster of winners includes:

Kjelli Holmes, Toledo, OH

Karen McElvene, Toledo, OH

Corrine Bressler, Bowling Green, OH

Julie Plummer, Defiance, OH

Wanda Schaffner, Toledo, OH

Donna Sedlock, Toledo, OH

Rachele Billian, Toledo, OH

Suzette Cason, Toledo, OH

Leona Chenault, Toledo, OH

Pam Gilbert, Toledo, OH

Helen McGee, Toledo, OH

Kathleen Okonski, Toledo, OH

Cheryl Waters-Sherer, Toledo, OH

Kathleen and Willie Miller, Toledo, OH

The winners and nominees all care for children in their homes and show a dedication to quality childcare, hands-on learning, a loving and safe environment, and ongoing professional development.

WGTE Public Media will hold a special luncheon ceremony at Angola Gardens on Saturday, March 15, honoring all of the winners and nominees of the contest. Each winner will be featured in a video profile that will air on WGTE TV and streamed online at wgte.org/awards.

Major funding for “A Place of Our Own” is provided by BP, First 5 California, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “A Place of Our Own” is a production of KCET/Los Angeles.

Dr. Gates' and WNET provided the opportunity for WGTE to have a local individual’s DNA tested so that a Toledo Story could be produced. The story will be broadcast locally immediately following the last hour of the series on Wednesday, February 13, at approximately 10:55 p.m. The WGTE story revolves around Charlene Gilbert, the Director of the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women at the University of Toledo. Gilbert, a nationally-known Public Television film maker, steps in front of the camera in order to personalize the African American experience for Toledo audiences. Thanks to DNA evidence, Gilbert furthers her own understanding of her unique ancestry. In addition to the AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES – TOLEDO, WGTE will also air that same evening Gilbert’s film, HOMECOMING, about her own family history.

Dr. John Gray, a genealogy expert at the University of Toledo and Dr. Rubin Patterson, Interim Director of Africana Studies at the University of Toledo, help Gilbert learn more about her history, and the African American experience.

Join WGTE for AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2, Wednesday, February 13 starting at 9:00 p.m. followed by AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES - TOLEDO, a short film that will follow the national program around 10:55 p.m. Then stay tuned for Gilbert's film, HOMECOMING: SOMETIMES I AM HAUNTED BY MEMORIES OF RED DIRT AND CLAY, airing at approximately 11:05 p.m. on WGTE TV.