Students Leap Into Publishing Seventh-Graders Conduct Interviews, Write Books
Seventh-grader Dane Barney has written and illustrated perhaps the world’s first storybook about green wolverines.
And first-grader Kasey Hatcher is the lucky duck who gets to keep it.
The boys are part of a West Valley book-publishing project that paired Centennial Middle School seventh-graders with first- and third-graders at Orchard Center Elementary.
Why a wolverine? That’s Kasey’s favorite animal. “It’s probably the most deadly animal and it has no enemies. Except maybe a snake,” said the first-grader seriously.
Dane and his classmates each were assigned a “little kid” to interview last month. That interview gave the big kids the starting point for their books.
The conclusion of the project came last week. The Centennial kids returned to Orchard Center to present the younger students with finished, bound volumes. The kids responded to their gifts with oohs, ahs, chocolate chip cookies and hugs.
“I wanted a major, big project that would reach all of them,” said seventh-grade teacher Jackie Volz. “I wanted to go all the way through the publishing process and have them exposed to the tensions and the rewards.”
If you had a wolverine, and you painted him green, You would have a wolverine that is green.
If he put on some pants, that in them had ants…. He would go scratch, scratch.
Dane’s pen and ink illustrations show a mischievous wolverine doing exactly that.
Each book was bound and covered, some in shiny, colorful wrapping paper, others in fabric. If not quite professional, the covers certainly looked like the work of capable amateurs. Volz credited her aides, Peggy Kettleson and Carlene Sather, for becoming the actual publishers.
Some seventh-graders produced both text and pictures on computer. Others worked by hand. Many started with well-known children’s books or fairy tales. Some used pop-ups or cut-outs.
Jennifer Miner was the pop-up pro. She and other seventh-graders showed the Orchard Center kids how simple it is to make pop-ups.
But the books made the bigger impression.
Said first-grader Stephanie Beener, hugging her book to her chest: “I’m never, ever going to lose this book.”
Learning about legislators
Jaren Tichy, a ninth-grader at Greenacres Junior High School, served as a legislative page earlier this month.
She was sponsored by Rep. Larry Crouse, R-Spokane Valley.
Tichy spent two weeks in Olympia, delivering messages and documents to lawmakers and learning more about how the Legislature works.
Mr. Yuck winners
Heather Hoberg, third-grader at Greenacres Elementary, Christina Crowley, fifth-grader at St. John Vianney and Trevor Hanson, fifth-grader at Sunrise Elementary have won honors in the Mr. Yuck poster contest for Poison Prevention Week.
Katee Nauert, third-grader at Sunrise, was named one of the top 12 entries out of 3,335 posters entered. Her poster will appear as a billboard somewhere in Spokane in March.
Oops
A recent item about an archaeology project coming up at Broadway Elementary included an error. The church allowing student teacher Gerry White to use property for his students’ archaeology dig is actually Church of the Nazarene.
Mastering their music
Earlier this month, several high school musicians from the Spokane Valley joined the best of their peers across Washington in All-State Band, Orchestra and Choir performances.
The following students participated:
Central Valley High School band: Becky Deehre and Kevin Woods. Orchestra: Nathan Reese. Choir: Angela Hunt and Christa Klein.
University High School band: Marisa Neste. Orchestra: Sarah Scales. Choir: Norm Osstead.
West Valley High School band: Monica Beach, Damon Beck, Aaron Cross, Walt Skidmore and Tiffany Mullins, who also was selected for all-state choir.
East Valley High School band: Allison Lancaster. Orchestra: Ruth Boden and Kevin Boden. Choir: Megan Brannan.
Ruth Boden also has been chosen for all-nation orchestra.
Freeman High School band: Josh Brown. Choir: Ben Harper and Alison Hawley.
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