Back in June, the Scholastic Classroom Books Marketing team ran an online contest where we challenged teachers from grades K-8 to get their students excited about writing.  The participating students submitted original stories accompanied with imaginative and vivid illustrations for the chance to have their ideas transformed into an animated video. Not forgotten, the inspiring teachers also had the opportunity to win three Traits Writing grade-level sets of their choice.

Just in time for the National Day on Writing, today we salute the winner of the 2012 Traits Writing Contest — Santy Hernandez! Hailing from San Rafael, California, Santy is not only an avid reader but also a basketball and karate enthusiast. A third grader at San Pedro Elementary school, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, as well as her parrot, cat and dog. Watch Santy’s fable “How Parrot Spoke” come to life in this special animated short, where the birds of a lush forest teach us lessons of patience and humility:

Congratulations to Santy and her teacher Melanie Bartholomew on a job well done. Keep up the great writing!

Watch the video and learn more about Traits Writing at scholastic.com/traitswriting  – Stefanie Gilary, Scholastic Classroom & Community Group Marketing