As Seven Arrows School second-grader Ruby Jacobs had an alligator snout adhered over her nose, the rest of her class couldn’t help but stare.
Jacobs took first place in a national competition for first through fourth grade put on by the Scholastic Reading Club, titled “Race the Wild” Create Feature Contest, which required contestants to submit an essay and a work of art.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Based on her favorite animal, Jacobs used pastels to create a portrait of a red-bellied monkey accompanied with a fact sheet about the animal.
The winning prize included a visit from Kristin Earhart, author of the “Race the Wild” book series. Earhart gave the class a presentation on her writing process and clues as to what’s coming up next in the book series.
Special effects artist Rashaad Santiago, a recent winner of the reality show “Face Off”, gave the class animal makeovers also as part of the grand prize.
The whole process took Jacobs a couple of weeks to finish her submitted project. When she found out she had won first place, Jacobs said, “It felt like my heart was exploding.”
Second grade teacher Denise Resendez said about eight to 10 other students in her class participated in the contest as well.
—DAYNA DRUM
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