PORTLAND – The Maine Humanities Council, the state’s partner with the national Letters About Literature competition, announced the 2012 winners.

Letters About Literature encourages students to write to an author explaining how the author’s book changed their perspective and influenced their life. Teachers play an important role in this, utilizing this competition as an assignment, and working intensely with the students to refine their thoughts and improve their writing skills.

Local winners and semifinalists were:

Winners Level II (grades 7-8)

First place: Patience Rousseau, grade seven, Lewiston Middle School, Lewiston. Main Street Series by Ann M. Martin.

Semi-finalists

Minot Consolidated School, Minot: Madeleine Tiner.

Mt. Arafat High School, Topsham: Molly Roberts, Devyn Vermette.

Spruce Mountain Middle School, Jay: Camryn Berry, Caitlyn Rollins, Isabella Whitney.

Tripp Middle School, Turner: Isaiah Banks, Victoria DeCoster.