Yesterday I visited St. Mary’s-St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School in Glens Falls, NY. It’s quite a place. The building itself was modeled after Westminster Abbey and the large hall inside is breathtaking. I’ve never been to an elementary/middle school quite like it.
Inside I was greeted by a very strange sight. As I was being introduced to my host, Mrs. MacDonald-Persons, I had the strange sense someone was watching me from the couch in the office. Further inspection, however, revealed the culprit to be an empty uniform with a life-size computer print of a girl’s head. The school was full of these! It was a very cool, and ever so slightly creepy at the same time. These must have been a blast to make.
Through the day I got to spend time with all the kids in the school, read some books, and answer questions. (Thanks to the fourth grade for those terrific pictures.) After a delicious lunch with the faculty, I did a short writing project with the fifth grades. Everyone spread out on the floor and came up with some very creative stories.
Thanks to everyone at SMSA, and especially Mrs. MacDonald-Persons, for making me feel so welcome. A fun day indeed!
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Growing up, there were several teachers in my family. My mother was an art teacher, and my aunt Flit was an elementary school librarian in the Niskayuna School District. Once upon a time, she had a student named Suzanne. Eventually, Suzanne grew up to be an elementary school librarian herself in the same district at Craig Elementary. Now, when she needs to take a day off, she calls her former teacher, my Aunt Flit (now retired), to sub for her.
Last week I visited Craig Elementary. I was under a lot of pressure. If things didn’t go well, they could call my Aunt. Then I’d really catch it.
Thankfully, things went great. I got to speak to every student in the school, and spend some time talking with them about books, writing, and illustration. Their questions were really very good, and I wish I could have stuck around to talk longer. It’s a real pleasure to visit a school where the students are so well prepared for the visit. My thanks go out to Miss Shopmyer for all her hard work, the kids at Craig, and my Aunt Flit for getting the ball rolling all those years ago!
Continue reading →The week after I visited, Bell Top Elementary School in East Greenbush had their annual Halloween parade. Guess who the library staff, Nora Martin and Phyllis Stern, dressed up as? I’m speechless!
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This past Thursday I visited Elmcrest Elementary School in Liverpool, NY, my second school visit this fall.
The students and teachers at Elmcrest really, and I mean really, got into the visit. Not only had they read all the books, but they came up with some really great projects to do around them. Mr. Root’s first grade class (pictured above) drew pictures of things they loved and hated, playing at being both optomists and pessimists. 
Other projects included a diorama of Uncle Frank’s pit (complete with real dirt and a hot tub), a board game (with rules and playing pieces) where you get to explore uncle Frank’s underground apartment, and all varieties of books and stories.
Some of my favorite stories from the bunch were the ones that combined characters from a bunch of my books to create new stories. Uncle Frank meets Squeak and Squeakes introduces Uncle Frank to a pair of blue cheese-loving mice, and The Bugs in Uncle Frank’s Pit imagines what would happen if Gloria and Frieda met up with Cousin Ernie, Uncle Frank, and the rest of the family.
To cap everything off, I got to end the day by doing a live broadcast on Elmcrest’s own Eagle Eye News. This is a student-run television program that is broadcast weekly throughout the entire school. My host was a sixth grade student with the funniest Uncle Frank costume I’ve ever seen. Throughout the entire interview, he stayed in the character of Uncle Frank and did an amazing job. I was interviewed by a representative from each grade, and everyone did a great job asking their questions and putting me at ease. It was a great way to wrap things up.
My thanks go out to Mr. Cappelli, the Parent Teacher Organization, and all the teachers, students and volunteers who made my visit so much fun.
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Today I visited Bell Top Elementary School in East Greenbush, NY, my first school visit of the 2005-06 year. What a way to begin!
I could tell it was going to be a good visit as soon as I walked in the door. The entrance was lined with Absolutely Not-inspired artwork, full of hidden pictures and optical illusions. The students at Bell Top are extremely talented, and they get a lot of encouragement from their art teacher, Ms. Ostwald. (It just so happens that many years ago – I won’t say how many – Ms. Ostwald was a teacher of mine as well.)
Everywhere I went, the halls were lined with artwork and projects. One of my favorites was this wall covered in welcome cards for me. Very impressive!
The presentations went great, and in between I had a chance to enjoy lunch (one of the best I’ve ever enjoyed at a school visit) with the faculty and find out what they’re up to. One teacher, Mrs. Nahal, has been raising silkworm moths in her first grade classroom, growing them from caterpillars. They spin silk cocoons, and never fly away because they’ve been domesticated. Don’t ask me how.
All in all a great day, and my heartfelt thanks go out to Mrs. Martin, the librarian, for all her hard work putting everything together. I can’t imagine how much time she and the other volunteers must have spent, but it was absolutely worth it. Thanks Bell Top!
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