Celebrate Literacy Award from GSDRA
Photo by Lori Mitchell and used with gratitude!
Yesterday I had the fun of attending an awards breakfast hosted by the Greater San Diego Reading Association, a branch of the International Literacy Association (formerly the International Reading Association). Along with fellow children’s authors Suzanne Santillan, Lori Mitchell, Virginia Loh Hagen, and Joy Raab, I received a Celebrate Literacy Award for my contributions to literacy in San Diego. Such an honor!
From left to right: Suzanne Santillan, me, Edith Hope Fine, Joy Raab, Virginia Loh Hagen, and Lori Mitchell at Pacific Beach Elementary, March 2014
The GSRDA are the folks who host the annual Authors Fair I have participated in these past two years—hands-down some of the best events I’ve ever attended. These were the schools (Pacific Beach Elementary in 2014 and Kimball Elementary in National City this year) where the teachers had spent weeks preparing their students for my visit—reading The Prairie Thief aloud (and saving the last chapter for me!) and doing some amazing writing and art projects. There is nothing, nothing like seeing kids’ art and poetry inspired by your books, let me tell you. 🙂
Student art and writing at Kimball Elementary
Prairie Thief project by 5th-grader Isabella D.
sarah says:
The award is such an honour – but I should think that having children create art and poetry inspired by your book is one of the greatest honours there could be. Many heartfelt congratulations to you!
On April 26, 2015 at 5:36 pm
Susanne Barrett says:
Congratulations!!! Literacy is a difficulty up here in the mountains east of San Diego where affluence rubs shoulders with extreme poverty in the public schools. One of my friends works as a volunteer in the local school and said that it’s not uncommon for incoming kindergarteners to not recognize what a toothbrush is; they’ve never seen one before. The Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council, which I helped to co-found, brought art lessons to the kids of Mountain Empire in Pine Valley and Lake Morena/Campo, but we had to stop because of lack of funding and we volunteers all having serious health challenges that prevented out continuing the project. At least we still have a writing workshop for adults/teens. I’d love to get involved with literacy up here, too.
Thanks for all that you do for literacy in San Diego! 🙂
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
On April 27, 2015 at 8:00 am
Jen Robinson says:
Congratulations! And much deserved, I am certain.
On April 27, 2015 at 1:34 pm