What's New: PPLD Teens Archived

From a small reading room established 136 years ago, PPLD continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our sprawling community. Our service area covers 2,070 square miles of El Paso County with a population of nearly 700,000 – people of all ages and backgrounds with varying views and interests.

Thanks to taxpayer funding, we can continue to provide residents with access to 16 facilities, three mobile library services, and a large online hub of resources and services, all of which are inclusive and welcoming to everyone. The Library team strives to make its physical and digital spaces safe and respectful for diverse voices, perspectives, and pursuits; to foster community dialogue and connections; and to help people achieve their goals and dreams in life.

Overview and Process

In the winter and spring of 2022, our Board of Trustees and staff revisited PPLD’s mission statement and developed a vision statement and organizational values that best reflect our public library system and growing community in El Paso County.

This became our starting point to develop our new strategic plan for 2023 - 2025. After months of input from the public through surveys and in-person meetings, PPLD staff, Library patrons, and other community members and government officials, PPLD used the rich qualitative data it received from more than 1,600 responses to develop a new strategic plan for 2023 - 2025. Below are the six areas of focus the team identified that became the foundation of the plan.

Strategic Plan: Areas of Focus

PPLD publicly released this plan in detail on Dec. 6, 2022, so everyone could see where, why, and how PPLD will reinvest taxpayer dollars back into the community through 2025. We look forward to using our new strategic plan to fulfill our mission, uphold our values, and aim to achieve our vision for this great community.

View the complete plan here:

The results are in! The Betty Field Youth Memorial Writing Contest, sponsored by the Friends of Pikes Peak Library District, is writing contest for youth in grades 6-12 that focuses on mystery stories. This year, 90 students submitted stories to the contest. These submissions were judged anonymously by volunteers from the Friends of the Library and Pikes Peak Library District staff, who entered over 400 scores for the stories!

6^th Grade:

• 1^st place: "Pluto Found Missing" by Madalynn Moorhead
• 2^nd place: "Friend or Foe?" by Tristan Kumar
• 3^rd place: "The Girl Erased from Time" by Hudson Sheperd

7^th Grade:

• 1^st place: "Scootered" by Jace Baehman
• 2^nd place: "The Dissociative Killer" by Raina Seybert
• 3^rd place: "The Case of the Cullinan Diamond" Daniel Bloomfield

8^th Grade:

• 1^st place: "Buried Memories" by Isabelle McNett
• 2^nd place: "A Walk in the Woods" by Marian Griffiths
• 3^rd place: "A Hole in the Roof" by Cannon Lockburner

9^th and 10^th Grade:

• 1^st place: "Provocation" by Elaine Zou
• 2^nd place: "Blue Girls and Zombie Kits" by Riley Ferl
• 3^rd place: "The Ridge" by Angel Jimenez

11^th and 12^th Grade:

• 1^st place: "The Puppetmaster" by Sierra Montgomery
• 2^nd place: "Mystery of the Missing Happiness" by Evelyn Peake
• 3^rd place: "An Odious Case" by Christian Alvis

Winners will be contacted via email with information about their prizes.

The Teen Art Contest is for teens and by teens. Teens create the art, and teens determine the winners.

The theme for our 2019 Teen Art Contest was "Opposites Attract! "

All of the artwork will be displayed at either Penrose Library, East Library, or Library 21c during the month of April.

Here are this years winners, which you can also view below!

Best In Show
“Poseidon’s Goldfish” by Cole R.

High School - First Place
“Opposites Attract” by Isaiah R.

High School - Second Place
“A Spectrum” by Preston S.

Middle School - First Place
“Steamy” by Teddy K.

Middle School - Second Place
“Concrete Jungle” by Ava K.

Coordinator’s Choice - High School
“Calm Before the Storm” by Lydia M.

Coordinator’s Choice - Middle School
“Strong and Courageous” by Chloe H.

You can view the winners here:

The 2018 Teen Fiction Anthology is here!

Click the link below to read the award winning stories from the 2018 Teen Fiction Writing Contest.

In 2018, over 70 young authors submitted original stories to PPLD's Teen Fiction Writing Contest. Each story began with the sentence "The letter could not have come at a worse time", which was chosen by New York Times best-selling author Sandya Menon. The young authors in our community took this common beginning and crafted a huge variety of stories that tackled big topics, such as: grief and loss, growing up, building a better world, and the weight of responsibility.

Winners were chosen through anonymous scoring by a group of dedicated PPLD staff members. The three top stories in both the middle school and high school categories were announced at the awards ceremony on July 29, 2018, and will be published in a digital anthology in September.

Middle School Winners:

• 1st Place: "A Girl, A Thousand Shirtwaists, and a Fire" by Molly Heinold
• 2nd Place: "Dear Louella" by Emma Reeves
• 3rd Place: "Elenora" Claire Deeds

High School Winners:

• 1st Place: "The Apiary" by Alexandra Wollinka
• 2nd Place: "An Impossible Choice" by Sophia Mayhugh
• 3rd Place: "A Work-Ruled Vacation" by Shanleigh Glide

Congratulations to all the winners and entrants! Thank you to all the young authors who entered and to those who encouraged them to put their ideas on paper. If you were unable to attend the awards ceremony, your judge's feedback sheet and participation certificate have been mailed to the address listed on your submission form.

The Teen Art Contest is for teens and by teens. Teens create the art, and teens determine the winners.

The theme for our 2018 Teen Art Contest was "Hidden Beauty." Teens were encouraged to show us where they have found hidden beauty in the ordinary, everyday world.

All of the artwork will be displayed at either Penrose Library, East Library, or Library 21c during the month of April.

Here are the winners!

Best In Show
Clear by Isabella Huhn

High School - First Place
Letting Go by Celine Hanlon

High School - Second Place
Masked by Elizabeth Ward

Middle School - First Place
Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder by Connor Murdock

Middle School - Second Place
Beauty of the Mountain by Adyline Poirson

Coordinator’s Choice - High School
Color through Clutter by Rebecca Gearhart

Coordinator’s Choice - Middle School
A Shoe by Adia Byron

You can view the winners here:

The 2017 Teen Fiction Writing Contest Anthology is here! Compiled are the Honorable Mentions and Winners from the 2017 Teen Fiction Writing Contest. Click on the link to download and view!

A big thank you to all our participants, and congratulations to our winners!

Middle School Division:
1^st: "Unexpected" by Claire Deeds
2^nd: "After Dusk" by Jessana Crouse
3^rd: "Copperstar’s Nine Lives" by Shanleigh Glide
Honorable Mention: "Fox and Wolf" by Brinley Ruesch

High School Division:
1^st: "Mayhem in Paradise" by Kristen Kater
2^nd: "The Monster’s Come Out at Night" by Sariah Smith
3^rd: "Fugitive" by Nicole Eiland
Honorable Mention: "Aiko’s Blue Moon" by Sapphire Esquibel

The winners were announced at the Award Ceremony on Thursday, July 27, after remarks from Evangeline Denmark. Winners were chosen by staff judges who read without knowing who wrote the pieces.

The stories by the winners listed above will be compiled into a digital anthology that will be posted on the blog by the end of the month. Please let rphilipsen@ppld.org know if you have any questions!

The Teen Art Contest is for teens and by teens. Teens create the art, and teens determine the winners.

The theme for our 2017 Teen Art Show & Contest was Transformation Teens were encouraged to show us how art impacts your life, or how it transforms the world around you.

All of the artwork will be displayed at either Penrose Library, East Library, or Library 21c during the month of April. Questions? Contact Becca Phillipsen at (719) 531-6333, x6336 or rphillipsen@ppld.org.

Here are the winners!

Best in Show

"Mirror Reflection" by Aleyah B.

High School

1^st Place: "My Fantasy" by Elizabeth W.
2^nd Place: "Summer Sunsets" by Kaylee T.
Coordinator’s Choice: "Hands of Time" by Mary R.

Middle School

1^st Place: "Transportation through Time" by Liberty H.
2^nd Place: "Evolution" by Mikayla R.
Coordinator’s Choice: "Coy Fish Pond" by Kristine B.

You can view the winning works here:

Beginning Jan. 9, 2017, PPLD will no longer charge fines on overdue children and teen items. Removing overdue fines will provide greater opportunity for children and teens to use the full range of library services. Currently, 15% of children and teen cardholders are blocked from checking out items at the library due to overdue fines.

Also, overdue fines on DVDs and games will be reduced from 25 cents per day to 10 cents per day.

PPLD seeks to foster literacy and life-long learning for children and teens. The Library regularly evaluates policies to see what barriers for service exist and evaluates how to eliminate such barriers. The Library’s Board of Trustees approved the new policy at their December meeting.

Items that will not accrue overdue fines must be designated as “juvenile” or “teen” in the Library catalog. The policy will take effect for any items checked out January 9 or after. Lost item and damage fees will still apply.

Overdue notices will still be sent as reminders to return Library items. Items not returned within 21 days of the due date will be considered lost, and the full cost of the item will be charged to the patron’s account.

Click here for more information

The 2016 Student Literary Award Anthology, publishes poems, letters, and artwork of state and national winners of the River of Words and Letters About Literature. These are two free competitions that are coordinated in Colorado. Check out the what you need to do to enter here:

• River of Words competition
• Letters About Literature competition

Both competitions are free to join and each website includes the entry form, short videos, and additional information.

So what is River of Words? It is an international poetry and art contest on the them of "Watersheds" designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live and to express what they discover through poetry and visual art.

Letters About Literature is a national reading and writing competition in which readers in grades 4-12 write a personal letter to an author they admire or whose work has inspired them. Readers respond by exploring the relationship between their personal experiences and the book's characters or themes and describing how the author's work changed them personally or altered their view of the world. Student may write their letter to any author, living or dead, form any genre- fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

So please, check out these cool competitions coming up in Colorado and get involved!

The 2016 Teen Fiction Writing Contest Anthology is here! Compiled are the Honorable Mentions and Winners from the 2016 Teen Fiction Writing Contest. Click on the link to download and view!

Congratulations to the winners of the Teen Fiction Writing Contest! All the winners stories will be published in a digital anthology.

Results:
Middle School

1st place: "Mary Cinclare" by Rohit Paradkar
Tie for 2nd place: "The Battle of Feather and Claw" by Liberty
Harms and "Life Guarded" by Sophia Mayhugh
3rd place: "Loss and Change" by Madelyn Prichard
Honorable mention: "Anomaly" by Christen Mayberry

High School

1st place: “Purple Problems” by Kristen Kater
Tie for 2nd place: "Fall from (Lack of) Grace" by Nicole Eiland and
"Pictures of Love" by Ellie Ford.
3rd place: "The Truth of Memories" by Maggie Tibbitt
Honorable mention: "An Account of One Of My More Profitable
Jobs" by Victoria Hecker

Congratulations to all the winners! We will post the anthology when it is complete!

The 2016 Summer Reading Photography Winners have been announced!

Congratulations!

The Teen Art Contest is for teens and by teens. Teens create the art, and teens determine the winners.

The theme for our 2016 Teen Art Show & Contest was Magnify It! Teens were encouraged to take a closer look at the world around them and create a piece of artwork.

All of the artwork will be displayed at either Penrose Library, East Library, or Library 21c during the month of April. Questions? Contact Becca Phillipsen at (719) 531-6333, x6336 or rphillipsen@ppld.org.

Here are the winners!

High School

“My Converse Crush” by Ashley D. - Best in Show
“Rain Forest Creature” by Taya E. - 1^st Place
“A Little Package of Joy” by Shauna P - 2^nd Place
“Lou” by Arely A. - Coordinator’s Choice

Middle School

“The Story in an Eye” by Stephanie L. - 1^st Place
“Hidden in the Flowers” by Tiya G. - 2^nd Place
“Butterfly Glory” by Asia X. - Coordinator’s Choice

You can view the winning works here:

With over 400 votes, the winner of the 2016 Book Madness is....

I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzai

Thank you so much for voting and come back next year!

We are so excited to announce the Teen Fiction Writing 2015 Anthology is complete! The anthology features our winners and honorable mentions from the 2015 contest.

The Teen Art Contest is for teens and by teens. Teens create the art, and teens determine the winners.

The theme for our 2015 Teen Art Show & Contest was Out of This World. Teens were encouraged to think beyond the scope of the everyday and explore a fantastical realm or the deepest depths of space through art.

A HUGE thank you to our sponsors Meininger Art Supply and Her Story Café for donating prizes for the teen artists!

Middle School

Isabella Wright
"Deep Sea Universe"
Middle School - 1^st Place

Andrea Lira
"The World Is Too Big for Us to Hold
Middle School - 2^nd Place

High School

Hector Medrano
"Moon Rise"
High School - 1^st Place

Molly Meyer
"Melted Hearts"
High School - 2^nd Place

Natalia Valentine
Infinite Sky
High School - Coordinators' Choice

Best of Show

Pamela Flores
"Space Encounter"
Middle School - Best of Show

Taylor Logar
"It Looks Cooler Upside Down"
High School - Best of Show

Congratulations to the winners of the Teen Fiction Writing Contest! All the winners stories will be published in an anthology—details on the anthology to come!

Results:

Middle School

• 1^st place: "Usual" by Anika Nelsestuen
• 2^nd place: "My Home" by Emma Rose Bufkin
• 3^rd place: "Shaded Sprouts" by Selena Mendez
• Honorable mention: "Journey to the Top" by Maggie Frohnhoefer
• Honorable mention: "Up To You" by Ally Hall

High School

• 1^st place: “Wings” by Maggie Hart
• 2^nd place: "And the Heavens Split" by Sariah Smith
• 3^rd place: "Strength in the Shadows" by Emma DeHerrera
• Honorable mention: "To Renuvial" by Jacqueline Dunn
• Honorable mention: "The Unexpected" by Mariah Mayhugh

Love playing board games? Want to try out new games each month and meet other teens interested in board games? Come to the Teen TableTop Gaming Club at Library 21c. We meet the first Friday of the month from 4 - 5:30 p.m. in the teen area. Each month we learn and play a different game (and sometimes get out old favorites as well!). Drop by and maybe you'll discover your new favorite game! For ages 12-18. Co-sponsored by Petrie's Family Games!

When: 1^st Fridays, 4 - 5:30 p.m.
Where: Library 21c teen area

Take a look at these quick, great videos of local teens and adults talking about some of their favorite banned or challenged books.

Teens around the country voted for the top ten books of the year! Check out the results here!

The Teen Art Contest is for teens and by teens. Teens create the art. Teens determine the winners.

Every story, adventure and journey starts from square one. The theme for our 2014 Teen Art Show & Contest was: Art². Art Squared allowed the artist to choose the content and the medium. Our only request? The artwork must be square.

All of the artwork will be displayed at either Penrose and East Library during the month of April.

Best of Show - High School: Kodi’s Midnight Trek - Becka Jackson	Best of Show - Middle School: Spiral – Meera Bhatia
First Place - High School: Adrift - Kendra Baucom	First Place - Middle School: Goal - Raven Henriquez
Second Place - High School: I Eat Numbers - Moriah Gilbert	Second Place - Middle School: Rose - Alysia Jiminez
Coordinator's Choice - High School: Silent Night - Eloro Lobosco	Coordinator's Choice - Middle School: Day of the Dead - Raelynn Gross

The American Library Association's (ALA) Virtual Read-Out is a great opportunity for people to share their favorite banned book. During Banned Books Week (Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, 2012) we had a few of our teens read for us! Check it out!

High School

• First Place - Cecilia Lee for "Flooding Gifts"
• Second Place - Helen Stritzel for "Sisters and the Scent of Cloves"
• Third Place - Kristen Hernandez for "Trapped"

Middle School

• First Place - Mariah Mayhugh for "Blind Friendship"
• Second Place - Emily Ford for "The Attic's Secret"
• Third Place - Hannah Kaupp for "I Love Him, Not You"