Ashburn Student Wins National Writing Contest

Farmwell Station Middle School student Adithi Ramakrishnan, 12, won a national writing contest and will have her work made into a video staring Mrs. P, who formerly played Mimi on the Drew Carey Show.

Mrs.P.com announced the winners of the contest earlier this week and Adithi won the grand prize in the 9-13 age group for her work Home Perfect Home, a fable about a bird searching for true happiness. The contest is in its fourth year.

Grace Lane, 8, of Vermont, won top honors in the 4-to-8 year-old category for The Magic Piano.

The Grand Prize winners will have their stories produced as videos featuring Mrs. P, which will be presented on her free website. Original artwork by award-winning illustrator Robin E. Kaplan will help bring the stories to life (see accompanying illustration). The videos will be posted on the website (www.MrsP.com) in March. Each winner will also receive an actual bound copy of the story and illustrations made possible by sponsor Polka Dots Publishing. A copy of the book will be donated to the child’s school library in their honor.

“This year, I’m pleased to give awards not only to these talented, young authors but also to their schools,” said TV star Kathy Kinney, who portrays Mrs. P and is one of the creators of the website. “Each grand prize winner’s school will receive $300 to purchase books for their libraries from our sponsor, BuyerTopia. And what school in this economy couldn’t use more books?”

MrsP.com was launched in 2008 to encourage a love of reading. The website is the recipient of the American Library Association’s "Great Website for Kids."