Stanislaus, Merced students shine in farm story contest

Tales about apples, olives and sweet potatoes won top statewide honors for three young authors from Stanislaus and Merced counties.

They were among the six grade-level winners in the 2015 version of the “Imagine This ...” story contest, sponsored by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.

The three – Drew Ramirez, Jaden Fontes and Aryanna Sobrevilla – will be honored Wednesday as part of Ag Day at the Capitol in Sacramento. All six stories will be compiled in a book for purchase.

Entrants can write factual or fictional accounts of how food is grown and processed. One story was chosen for each grade from third through eighth.

More about the local authors:

▪  Drew, a third-grader at Gratton School in Denair, won for “A Sweet Potato Water Fix.” It’s about a farm boy who persuades his grandfather and uncle to install drip irrigation to save their sweet potato crop from drought.

▪  Jaden, a sixth-grader at St. Stanislaus School in Modesto, wrote “The Incredible Apples.” It’s the first-person tale of an apple name Mac Macintosh and his three friends, who all have superpowers and save Penny Pink Lady from danger.

▪  Aryanna, a seventh-grader at St. Anthony School in Atwater, won with “Oliver Olive.” It’s about the first olive tree cutting planted in California by Father Junipero Serra, founder of the mission system in the late 1700s.

These stories can be read at www.cfaitc.org. Each was illustrated by groups of high school art students, mostly from Sacramento.

Several students in Stanislaus and Merced counties won regional awards:

▪  Jessica Williams, a third-grader at Gratton, for “The Adventures of the Little Sweet Potato”

▪  Lauren Rock, a fourth-grader at Gratton, for “Grace & Lilly’s Fair Adventure”

▪  Kaylie Griebel, a fourth-grader at Gratton, for “Emily the Excited Chicken”

▪  Caroline Thomsen, a fifth-grader at Gratton, for “Georges Journey: From Blossom to Broadway”

▪  Mia Phillips, a fifth-grader at Sacred Heart School in Patterson, for “Rachel’s Perfect Day”

▪  Cameron Crutcher, a sixth-grader at Sacred Heart School in Turlock, for “A Fair Adventure”

▪  Madison Threet, a seventh-grader at Gratton, for “An Almond’s Worth”

▪  Tessa Gallo, a seventh-grader at St. Stanislaus, for “The Bees Vacation”

▪  Kyndal Bockhahn, an eighth-grader at St. Stanislaus, for “The Corn on the Cob”

▪  Nicolas Sani, an eighth-grader at St. Stanislaus, for “Gertrude the Cow”

▪  Julie Richmond, a third-grader at Stefani School in Merced, for “The Amazing Apple”

▪  Marley Perez, a third-grader at Mitchell School in Atwater, for “Farm to You Field Trip”

▪  Jacob Nunes, a sixth-grader at St. Anthony, for “Tom the Tomato”

▪  Rocklin Baptista, a sixth-grader at St. Anthony, for “The Bee of the Year”

▪  Riley Parr, a seventh-grader at St. Anthony, for “Of Owl and Men.”

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Stanislaus, Merced students shine in farm story contest."