The Heart of the Three Village Community
Category: News Items
Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award Winners Announced
Setauket, NY – March 11, 2021 –
Emma Clark Library has revealed the winners for the Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award, an annual contest for junior high and high school students in the Three Village Central School District:
First Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Alice Helps written by Julia Garcia-Diaz Lea A. Nekrasov (both 8th graders at Gelinas Junior High School)
First Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): A New Normal by Rebecca Blumenthal (12th grader at Ward Melville High School)
Second Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Frankie Gets Stuck by Matthew Blumenthal (8th grader at Murphy Junior High School)
Second Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Peanut’s Passion by Matthew Marchese (10th grader at Ward Melville High School)
The books explore themes that all children can relate to – helping others, caring about the environment, finding something you enjoy, and even coping with the pandemic.
Contest winners will be celebrated at a private online awards ceremony on Monday, April 19, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Each First Prize award recipient will receive a $400 scholarship, and each Second Prize award recipient will receive a $100 scholarship. In the event of a collaborative effort, the prize money will be split between the author and the illustrator. The newly bound books – made into hardcover by the Library – will have the honor of being added to the Library’s Local Focus Collection, and winners will also receive copies of their books to cherish in their own home libraries.
The Helen Stein Shack Book Contest called for teens in grades 7 through 12 who live in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book. Each entry could be the work of a single author/illustrator or a collaborative effort of an author and an illustrator. The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 7 through 9 and grades 10 through 12, with one First Prize Winner and one Second Prize Winner selected from each group.
This award is given in memory of Helen Stein Shack by her family. As a teacher, Mrs. Shack was committed to the education of children, and she especially loved literature written for them. She was a frequent visitor to Emma Clark Library where, even in retirement, she kept current with the latest children’s books. The Library is grateful to the children of the late Mrs. Shack who have established a substantial endowment with the Library to cover the cost of the prizes.
Past ceremonies have had Library trustees, teachers and top school district administrators, as well as elected officials from New York State, Suffolk County, and the Town of Brookhaven, all in attendance to honor the winners. This year’s event will be held online in order to keep everyone safe, and the 2020 winners will be honored at the ceremony as well, since we were not able to hold the event last year due to the pandemic. Emma Clark Library is pleased to be able to celebrate these imaginative and hard-working teens and add their original books to the Library’s collection for the entire community to enjoy.
The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and online at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.
“The Heart of the Three Village Community”
Calling All Creative Three Village Kids
Setauket, NY – February 9, 2021 –
Emma Clark Library is once again hosting a Kids Bookmark Contest for children in the Three Village Central School District, Kindergarten through 6th grade. Winners receive the honor of having their bookmarks professionally printed.
To pick up an Official Entry Form and Bookmark Template, kids may stop by the Children’s Reference Desk or download the form at kids.emmaclark.org. The entry deadline is March 31, 2021. Winners will be chosen in three categories (K – 2, 3rd & 4th, and 5th & 6th grades) and announced on Monday, May 3, 2020 to kick off Children’s Book Week. All contestants’ entries are displayed in the Children’s Department for the entire community to enjoy!
The children of Three Village inspire others to read with their original bookmark entries. Our Librarians have seen over 200 unique bookmarks over the past few years. The Librarians cannot wait to see the latest creations!
If you have any questions about the Kids Bookmark Contest, please email marcela@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080 ext. 123.
Please note: With all Emma Clark Library contests, Emma Clark employees, trustees, and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter.
The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and on the web at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.
“The Heart of the Three Village Community”
Recycling Events at Emma Clark Library
Setauket, NY – February 8, 2021 –
These events are a great way to recycle your unwanted items, and they’re open to the public at Emma Clark Library in the coming months:
Shed the Meds – Wednesday, March 24 from 12:00noon – 4:00 p.m. in the periodicals room (historic section of the Library). Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office hosts this safe way to properly dispose of their unused medications and covered hypodermic needles. Proper disposal is essential in helping to protect the environment and ensure that old drugs don’t end up in the wrong hands.
eWaste Recycling Day – Saturday, May 1 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Library parking lot. Do you have outdated & unwanted electronics and metal cluttering up your house or workspace, collecting dust or taking up space? Arrow Scrap Metal and E-Waste Recycling, a NYS registered electronic waste recycling facility, can help. Bring your used computers, cell phones, laptops, servers, wire & cable, scrap metal, circuit boards, batteries, printers, hard drives & storage devices, power tools, small appliances, small electronics, keyboards/mice, stereos, flat screen TVs and monitors, cameras, and more. Your hard-drives and old cell phones can also be shredded on site (you’ll get faster service if you remove the hard-drive from your computer before your arrival). Not accepted: CRT (Tube) TVs and monitors, lightbulbs, liquids, paints, containers containing gases, medical waste, tires, paper, glass, wood, or general garbage.
Community Shred Day – Saturday, May 15 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Library parking lot. We’re here to help you get rid of that unnecessary paperwork in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Protect your privacy and get rid of clutter. You will watch as your documents are securely destroyed by a shredding truck from A Shred Away, Inc. No plastic, carbon paper, hanging files, red well folders, cardboard, newspapers or magazines. Clips and staples are fine to put through the shredder. 5 box limit. No wet papers, and please take any boxes, bags, etc. back home with you. All paper collected will be 100% recycled at a certified paper mill.
All of these events are open to the public and no registration is required. Please wear a mask. Questions? Email askus@emmaclark.org.
The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and online at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.
“The Heart of the Three Village Community”
Creative Contest Continues for Junior High and High School Students at Emma Clark
Setauket, NY – October 28, 2020 –
These are difficult times for so many, and sometimes a creative outlet is just what we need to help get us through. In addition, the artwork of others can inspire and uplift us. That is why now more than ever, Emma Clark Library is thrilled to continue the annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Contest for junior high and high school students in Three Village.
The Library is once again calling for teens who live in the Three Village Central School District to create an original children’s picture book using their own artwork and text. The entries will be judged, and winning authors will receive a sizable monetary prize and have their work bound, made into a hardcover book, and added to the Library’s shelves. Additional copies of the winning books will also be available for purchase by family and friends. In the past, there has been a lovely ceremony where Library Trustees and staff, teachers and top school district administrators, as well as representatives and elected officials from New York State, Suffolk County, and Brookhaven Town, all honor the winners.
The contest is divided into two grade categories, grades 7 through 9 and grades 10 through 12, with one First Prize Winner and one Second Prize Winner selected from each group. Each entry can be the work of a single author/illustrator or can be a joint effort between an author and an illustrator (in the event that a winning entry is a collaboration, the prize will be shared). Each of the First Prize award recipients will receive $400, and each of the Second Prize award recipients will receive $100. All entrants will receive a Certificate of Participation. Winners and their families will be invited to an awards ceremony in the Spring (subject to change). Please note, since the 2020 ceremony could not take place due to COVID-19 restrictions, winners from both the 2020 and the 2021contests will be honored at the 2021 event.
Teens may obtain an Official Entry Form in-person in the Library’s lobby or online at emmaclark.org/picturebookaward starting November 18, 2020. Included with the form are the contest procedures & guidelines. They should bring their completed picture book, along with a completed Official Entry Form, to the Children’s Department by the contest deadline, January 29, 2021.
Last year’s Grand Prize winners were Celia Gordon (Grades 7 – 9 category) and Rebecca Blumenthal (Grades 10 – 12 category). The public may view previous year’s winning entries at emmaclark.org/picturebookaward.
This award is given in memory of Helen Stein Shack by her family. As a teacher, Mrs. Shack was committed to the education of children, and she especially loved literature written for them. She was a frequent visitor to Emma Clark Library where, even in retirement, she kept current with the latest children’s books. The Library is grateful to the children of the late Mrs. Shack who have established a substantial endowment with the Library to cover the ongoing cost of the prizes.
Please note: A maximum of one entry will be accepted per author. Entries may be a collaboration of no more than one author and one artist/illustrator. Emma Clark employees, trustees, and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter.
The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and on the web at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.
“The Heart of the Three Village Community”
No Increase for Emma Clark Library’s 2021 Budget
Setauket, NY – August 14, 2020 –
Emma Clark Library understands that many people are going through difficult times right now, with many in our community experiencing financial hardships. As such, the Library Board of Trustees has made the decision to operate on a 0%-increase budget for 2021, and hence, there will be no increase in the tax levy and no Library budget vote this September.
Looking ahead, the Library will continue to build on traditional services, as well as new services that were recently introduced. Once the pandemic hit, the Library staff moved quickly to develop and implement new ways to serve patrons and was met with success in providing new offerings such as virtual classes, remote technology help, expanded access to online resources, elimination of overdue fines, “take & make” kits for teens and children, self-checkout stations, and convenient “front door pick-up” of library materials.
The trustees and staff of the Emma Clark Library are committed to helping the community, many of whom are under economic distress during these unprecedented times, by doing everything possible to keep costs down while continuing to provide the best resources and services to the Three Village area.
The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and online at emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District. “The Heart of the Three Village Community”
The Heart of the Three Village Community
