Scholastic Asia has named two Filipino children among the top ten young storytellers

 

Two Filipino children were among the ten winners of the Scholastic Asia Young Storytellers Award for 2021. (SAYSA). The virtual awarding ceremony took place on January 22, 2022.

Cassandra Ysabel Ignacio and Phoebe Niguidula were two of the ten finalists chosen by the SAYSA judges from among the 70 finalists chosen from over 1,700 applicants. From China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, Scholastic Asia received read aloud entries.

Ms. Selina Lee, Vice President of Scholastic Asia, Ms. Christabel Pinto, Senior Director of Room to Read’s Global Literacy Program, Ms. Catherine Wu, Scholastic Asia’s Reading Ambassador, and Mr. Peter H. Reynolds, Award-winning Author and Illustrator, were among the SAYSA judges.

Among the 70 SAYSA finalists were these 14 Filipino kids, selected through public voting and judging by Scholastic Asia:

Cassandra Ysabel Ignacio	St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina
Eeva Cambria Bazar	Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
Haquila Guevarra	San Sebastian School, Inc.
Jairo Stian Reolizo	School of Saint Anthony
Kayla Nevaeh Donnatessa Caparas	Casa Del Niño Montessori & Science High
Keizha Christine Salvosa	Good Shepherd Cathedral School
Lady Alyssa Kate Tan	Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu
Luke Adrianne Amaro	School of Saint Anthony
Phoebe Niguidula	St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina
Vernice May Bautista	Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College
Wyanett Doydoy	New Era University (Pampanga Branch)
Yasmin Binte Mohamed Yasin	Asia Academic Integrated School
Ysabel Tampus	Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College
Zairich Althea Castillo	Taps Achiever Private School

 

Scholastic launched the Scholastic Asia Young Storytellers Award (SAYSA) in October 2021, leveraging the use of the digital space to provide a platform for children to showcase their many talents.  SAYSA invited readers aged 4 to 10 years to express their creativity through storytelling.

Scholastic wants to encourage children in Asia to be confident as they narrate and read from their favorite Scholastic storybook while instilling a competitive spirit and a sense of camaraderie among peers.  Moreover, Scholastic wants children to be able to share with other kids their love for books and reading.

With the successful inauguration of the Scholastic Asia Young Storytellers Award, Scholastic Asia has announced that SAYSA 2022 will be in October.

For over 100 years now, Scholastic has been championing a love for reading and learning all over the world.  In the Philippines, Scholastic is partners with over 250 schools in its Reading and Math Programs – PR1ME English and PR1ME Mathematics.  In PR1ME English, reading aloud to students by their teachers, parents, and peers is integral in nurturing students’ comprehension and critical thinking skills, and instilling in them a love for reading.  Scholastic Philippines is happy and proud that 9 out of the 14 Filipino kids who made it to Asia’s Top 70, including Cassandra and Phoebe, are from among its current partner schools in PR1ME English.

Scholastic Philippines is sharing the 14 SAYSA read aloud videos from the Philippines to the public as part of the WORLD READ ALOUD DAY (WRAD) Celebration in February.  The videos may be viewed on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmqSEvEhhWS82yS0s3y1W9A/videos

Scholastic Philippines is also sponsoring the Scholastic Voice of the Youth Awards, an interschool competition that amplifies the voice of Filipino youth via reading, writing, and speaking, as part of the WRAD Campaign. The competitions are open to Scholastic’s PR1ME English partners.

Visit scholasticph.com. for more information about Scholastic’s offerings.