Strawberry Hill Student among 2026 Letters About Literature CT State Winners

Stamford Public Schools (SPS) is proud to announce that Strawberry Hill eighth grader, Elizabeth Kanev, was named a 2026 Letters About Literature winner for the State of Connecticut. 

Each year, students in grades four through 12 are invited to read a book, poem, or speech and write a personal letter to the author (living or deceased) explaining how that work changed their perspective or affected them personally. Kanev is one of nine winners, three per grade level, selected from a pool of more than 800 submissions. The contest is sponsored by the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education, Department of English,  and the Connecticut Writing Project (CWP).  

“Winning this contest is quite an achievement,” explained Strawberry Hill English teacher Crosby Fox. “The contest encourages participants to focus on reflective writing—the ability to connect deep personal feelings with literature, which aligns perfectly with the IB Middle Years Programme's Learner Profile.” 

For her contest entry, Kanev wrote a letter to Jane Naliboff, author of the book The Only One Club. She is among three state-wide winners for Level 2 (Grades 7–8).  Ms. Kanev was recently recognized during an awards ceremony and received a $100 gift card.