November 19, 2024

CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada Department of Education announced Tuesday the winners of the 2025 Nevada Reading Week student art contest.

Kaelynne Kindred, an 11th grade student at Eldorado High School in the Clark County School District, was named the grand prize winner.

In total, 753 students participated in the statewide contest. Students represent 10 school districts, public charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling.

“We have remarkable student artists across our state, and we are thrilled that hundreds participated in the Nevada Reading Week art contest,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Their artwork demonstrates creativity and talent, and their work aligns so well with our 2025 theme.”

Nevada Reading Week will be held from March 3-7, 2025. The theme is “Color Our World With Books.”

Student artwork submitted for the contest went through several rounds of judging before the winners were selected.

Kindred and three honorable mention recipients will be recognized during a virtual award ceremony on Tuesday.

Kindred will receive a $150 Amazon gift card. Her design will serve as the official logo for Nevada Reading Week.

The logo will be featured on t-shirts, the Nevada Reading Week website, and promotional materials. The artwork will also be showcased at the Nevada Department of Education’s Carson City and Las Vegas offices.

“The inspiration for this artwork was to create something simple that people of all ages would enjoy,” Kindred said. “When I saw the prompt 'Color Our World With Books,' an idea immediately came to mind. I decided to draw three books 'painting' the world. Books have the power to open minds and inspire change, so I wanted to show how they can bring life and color to the world.”

“Kaelynne is an amazing artist and supporter of our National Art Honor Society chapter at Eldorado where we focus on art scholarship, character, and service,” said Jenny Buckley, art teacher at Eldorado High School. “Her expressive and illustrative style showcases her artistic strengths in creating fine line details and interesting compositions with original character designs. We appreciate her support and talents to help make our school, community, and world a more beautiful place!”

Other art contest winners are:

• High school honorable mention: Kelly Munn, 12th grade student at North Valleys High School (Washoe County School District)
• Middle school honorable mention: Marina Sanuos, seventh grade student at Del Webb Middle School (Clark County School District)
• Elementary honorable mention: Riley Howard, third grade student at Somerset Academy Sky Pointe (State Public Charter School Authority)

Each honorable mention winner will receive a $75 Amazon gift card and their teachers will be awarded a $25 Amazon gift card.

Since its inception in 1987, the Nevada Department of Education has been at the forefront of promoting literacy and celebrating the joy of reading through its annual Nevada Reading Week initiative.

This statewide endeavor brings together educators, librarians, students, and community members to partake in shared thematic activities aimed at fostering a love for reading.

For the 2025 Nevada Reading Week, participants can look forward to engaging events, including the Author LIVE Event that connected more than 30,000 students with local and nationally recognized authors last year.

To support Nevada’s goal of ensuring that every student is reading during Nevada Reading Week, Capstone is generously providing all students across the state with free access to PebbleGo, PebbleGo Next, and Capstone eBooks.

This special initiative will be available from February through April, offering a wealth of digital resources to enhance literacy and encourage a love of reading.

With this access, students will have the opportunity to explore a diverse range of interactive and informative materials designed to inspire curiosity and learning.

“We are thrilled to partner with Nevada Reading Week by providing the resources children need to foster their lifelong love of reading,” said Capstone Shareholder Katherine Coughlan.

The online store for Nevada Reading Week t-shirt orders will open on Nov. 26 and close at 2 p.m. Jan. 23, 2025. Information and links for ordering can be found on the Nevada Reading Week website.

For more information about Nevada Reading Week, visit nevadareadingweek.org.

Attachments:

• Artwork from contest winners

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About the Nevada Department of Education

The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) leads and collaborates with Nevada’s 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Carson City and Las Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State, working to achieve its mission to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under the leadership of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and 30,000 educators. Learn more at https://doe.nv.gov/ and join us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.