Books

Students receive national writing contest awards

CINCINNATI HERALD — Four young students at Winton Hills Academy in Cincinnati recently traveled to Philadelphia to receive their first place awards in a national book writing competition for their book honoring Civil Rights icon Marian Spencer, 98, of Cincinnati. This is the second book for which students at the school have won a national award, and these Cincinnati Public Schools girls are only nine and ten years old.

Published

7 years ago

April 9, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dan Yount

Four young students at Winton Hills Academy in Cincinnati recently traveled to Philadelphia to receive their first place awards in a national book writing competition for their book honoring Civil Rights icon Marian Spencer, 98, of Cincinnati. This is the second book for which students at the school have won a national award, and these Cincinnati Public Schools girls are only nine and ten years old. This group of students not only wrote and illustrated the book, but interviewed Mrs. Spencer at her residence at Twin Towers Senior Living Community.

The 20-page book, titled “Marian Spencer: A Light in the Darkness,” which chronicles Spencer’s life and accomplishments as a fighter for social justice in the Cincinnati area, was written by Serenity Mills, Janyia New, Aliyana O’Neal and Nakiyah Ray.

“We’re so proud of these girls, and we know what they’re capable of,” Julie Dellecave, the girls’ fourth-grade teacher. “They are learning that working hard at something and really doing their best pays off in life. And I think that’s really an example to all of our students here.”

“I expect them to do well in everything, especially in school,” Spencer said of the girls when they visited her in December to present her with the book. “Our future is in them.”

“They are amazing students, and this was a great outlet for them to show the talent they have,’’ said Shelby Zimmer, resource coordinator at the school. “Also, Julie Dellecave is an amazing teacher, providing encouragement and direction.’’

In accepting the award at the National Youth Foundation Second Annual Girls Rally in Philadelphia, the girls said they would rather see Marian Spencer than Beyoncé, because Mrs. Spencer has been such an inspiration to them, and they wanted to be just like her, Zimmer said.

The students chose to write their book about Spencer after Joe Wilmers, a retired Winton Hills Academy social worker, told them about her and all her accomplishments

Each of the girls received a $125 cash prize, which they said they plan to save.

The post Students receive national writing contest awards appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Congresswoman Johnson Promotes STEM Education at Annual Math and Science Lecture Series

Don't Miss

$62B Education Cuts Proposed, College Aid Could be Slashed

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Black History

George Cook: The Inventor Who Made Fishing Smarter

Published

4 days ago

August 9, 2026

bpusa-syndication

A copy of the patent for George Cook’s Automatic Fishing Device. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

George Cook was a Black American inventor from Louisville, Kentucky. He was born in 1863, during a time when Black Americans faced unfair laws, limited opportunities, and many barriers to education, jobs, and recognition. Even with these challenges, he became known for his intelligence, honesty, and ability to think in practical ways. Some records say he worked as a cook for Buffalo Bill Cody and later as a chef on a private dining car for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He was even known by the nickname “Honest Mister Cook.”

As with many Black American inventors and scientists of that era, there is little biographical information about Mr. Cook.

Cook’s most famous invention was the Automatic Fishing Device. He received U.S. Patent No. 625,829 for it on May 30, 1899. His patent shows that he was not just someone with an idea, but someone who made it happen.

So, what did the Automatic Fishing Device do? Imagine fishing with a line in the water. Usually, you have to watch carefully and pull the line at just the right moment when a fish bites. Cook wanted to make that process easier. His device was designed to react when a fish pulled on the line. The tension from the fish would trigger a lever. That lever would release a spring-loaded part of the device, causing it to move quickly and help pull in the line. The device also had an alarm gong that would ring to let the fisher know something was happening.

This invention was important because it used simple mechanical ideas in a clever way. Springs, levers, rails, and alarms were not new by themselves, but Cook combined them to solve a real problem. His device showed how inventors often take familiar parts and arrange them in a new way to make life easier.

Cook looked at fishing and asked, “How can this be improved?” Then, he created a device that could respond automatically when a fish tugged on the line. His invention let fishermen relax instead of watching the line for hours, trusting the alarm to alert them.

Cook may not be as famous as some inventors, but his Automatic Fishing Device shows that creativity and innovation can be applied anywhere. His legacy lives on as part of the larger story of Black innovation in America.