NSU names Big Read Essay Winner

Muskogee High School student Derrick Jones recently was awarded $50 for his submission to the essay writing contest of the Big Read hosted by Northeastern State University.

Jones was presented a check Dec. 18 for his original essay on the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

"On behalf of the NSU Libraries, we are so happy to recognize Derrick's writing talent as demonstrated in his Big Read essay," said Tom Messner, library director for NSU-Broken Arrow. "We congratulate Derrick on his hard work and hope that he carefully considers Northeastern State University as his next home after high school. We also want to thank the librarians, teachers and staff of Muskogee High School for their enthusiastic participation in promoting literary reading in the Big Read this year."

Jennifer Kilgore, head librarian at the Muskogee High School Media Center, brought Jones and several other MHS students to the Big Read and played a critical role in its success on NSU's Muskogee campus. She said she was "extremely proud" of Jones' work and expressed encouragement for him to continue developing his writing skills through high school and beyond.

The Big Read was a month-long literary reading program offered last fall and was northeast Oklahoma's first community-wide reading program. The program was funded through a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services in conjunction with Arts Midwest and was directed by NSU in cooperation with area high schools, public libraries and community colleges.

Funding for the essay writing contest was provided by the NSU Foundation for the NSU-Broken Arrow Library.