Siblings Marcy and Morris Brown, former winners of the Vegas PBS KIDS Writers Contest Presented by Janice Allen, proudly display their trophies earned in 2002-2007

Vegas PBS KIDS

Writers Contest Presented by Janice Allen Celebrates 25th Anniversary

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHARON CHAYRA

Las Vegas may have global name recognition, but it’s not necessarily recognized from a child’s view. This is why Vegas PBS President Mare Mazur prioritizes creating a “sense of belonging” in the station’s many endeavors. What good is community building if not for ensuring the most vulnerable or marginalized individuals have a voice?

Vegas PBS Ready To Learn (RTL) focuses on early childhood education, with a foundation of literacy central to its mission. It’s woven into every word in the tens of thousands of books the program distributes annually, every family engagement workshop, and the station’s countless community events such as Be My Neighbor Day and the Vegas PBS KIDS Writers Contest Presented by Janice Allen. After all, future storytellers need to start somewhere.

Ready To Learn Fuels Imaginations

Jessica Russell, Vegas PBS Ready To Learn coordinator, leads the lion’s share of activities and events geared at engaging children. “The mission of PBS KIDS is to deliver high-quality educational media that helps children develop the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills they need to thrive,” Russell explains. “Ready To Learn is a boots-on-the-ground initiative that brings learning to life in communities through hands-on activities and family engagement — all powered by PBS KIDS media.”

Over the 24 years since Russell joined the station, she has devoted 12 of those as the visionary and ambassador, leading this charge. In 2025, the program will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Vegas PBS KIDS Writers Contest Presented by Janice Allen. Vegas PBS is reflecting on the accomplishments of the contest’s many participants, especially the young writers who won. Allen, a Las Vegas philanthropist and former journalist, created an endowment to ensure this program will continue for many years.

Writing Contest Winners: Marcy and Morris Brown

Entering a writing contest in kindergarten isn’t a particularly normal activity. When most children are still learning to tie their shoelaces, five-year-old Morris Brown was trying to keep up with his big sister, Marcy. Even at the age of eight, she was a prolific reader and writer. Morris wanted to be just like her. Fortunately, through Vegas PBS, Morris did just that. His story, “The Komodo Dragon Who Helped Me with My Science Project,” won him the top prize in his age group as a student at Challenger School in 2005. He also competed in second grade and third grade and won both times.

“My mom was super active with us and academically focused,” says Morris. “We didn’t really watch TV except for Vegas PBS, and only then to watch ‘Reading Rainbow.’” The national public television show “Reading Rainbow,” hosted by LeVar Burton, inspired their mother to have her kids participate in the youth writing contest hosted by Vegas PBS. Marcy, with her penchant for storytelling, couldn’t wait to enter.

“When I was young, I loved coming up with stories to expand upon and explain everything I saw around me, usually related to the natural world,” she explains. Her winning book in 2002, “The Coconut Crab,” was largely based on the adventures she and her brother enjoyed while exploring the diverse flora and fauna of Hawaii, their mother’s home state.

Writing Contest Winner: Blake Eecklor

Another former contest winner is Blake Eecklor. As a first grader in her mother’s class at Heckethorn Elementary, Eecklor remembers her self-determination to “do hard things.”

Participating in the writing contest may have been a class project, but Eecklor’s curiosity inspired her charming tale, “The Perfect Me,” in 2013. The story was about a little girl’s crisis with self-identity that caused the character to change her name daily, resulting in chaos. Ultimately, she realized that just being herself was perfect. The allegory isn’t lost on Eecklor, whose aspirations landed her as a freshman at Pepperdine University, where she studies physics.

Her mother, Lynne, continues to teach first grade and encourages her students to enter the writing contest. She’s seen firsthand the positive impact of the writing contest on her daughter and many other children.

Literacy’s Lifelong Impact

For Marcy and Morris Brown, the sibling competitiveness of yesteryear has been replaced with maturity and mutual admiration. Morris proudly exclaims, “I’m so proud of my big sister. She is amazing and brilliant!” Marcy blushes and counters with equally sincere praise of her kid brother. Today, Marcy uses her storytelling skills to design tabletop gameplay initiatives that educate children on the importance of stewarding the earth’s environmental resources. She also serves as a storyteller docent around the southwest, including Las Vegas. Morris earned his degree in business but finds his passions best expressed in creating music as well as writing medical documentation as a set medic for film, TV and music videos. Both Browns acknowledge winning the writing contest as an important win in their lives.

Eecklor, with sights set on working for NASA or SpaceX, says establishing an early writing habit opened the door for her to expand her creativity. While pursuing a physics degree, Eecklor also runs track, plays the flute and still finds time for a social life. Early literacy established a foundation that she acknowledges provided her with being “able to think more outside of the box when it comes to doing things in physics and school like we’re building something for an experiment, or even when trying to solve an equation. I feel that this all stems from the very basics of creativity, coming from impactful moments such as writing for this contest when I was very young.”

25 Years and Counting

Russell notes that Vegas PBS has received more than 18,000 stories since the inception of its annual writing contest. The 2025 Vegas PBS KIDS Writers Contest Presented by Janice Allen is accepting entries now through March 14, 2025. The contest is open to all Clark, Nye, White Pine and Lincoln counties students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The contest’s 25th anniversary is especially meaningful. Russell reflects: “Research consistently shows that PBS KIDS media moves the needle in early learning outcomes, setting children on the path to success. With the support of generous sponsors like Janice Allen, we’re able to sustain and grow meaningful programs, such as our PBS KIDS Writers Contest, that directly benefit children across Southern Nevada. Without this crucial support, especially from partners like Janice, we couldn’t offer the vital learning resources and opportunities that empower children—particularly those in underserved communities—to thrive.”

Creating opportunities for children to thrive in a city designed for adults may seem a challenge, but for Mazur, Russell and the many partners of Vegas PBS, they know that if given the right elements for success, the next Dante or Dickinson may just be an entry away.

For more information, visit www.vegaspbs.org/writers-contest/.