Principal and Teachers at Long Meadow Elementary School Work to Inspire Young Writers

The Principal and Teachers at Long Meadow Elementary School (LMES) began the school year with a lofty goal.  They hoped to inspire young writers by providing increased opportunities for students to write about topics of their choosing.

            “Students love to write about topics of their choice,” explained Principal, Richard Gusenburg.  “They are inspired by a variety of ideas and will work very hard to develop a story when they know an audience will enjoy it.”

            Early in the year, Kindergarten teacher Jami Richardson responded to the challenge with the idea of establishing a school wide publishing center. 

            “I have always had an interest in the development of writing,” said Richardson.  “I have worked in my own classroom over the years to find ways to motivate young children to write by providing meaningful and authentic experiences,” she said.

            According to Richardson, when presented with an "authentic" reason to write as well as an audience, students are naturally more motivated.  The center would provide an opportunity to have their writing put in "published" form to be shared with an audience beyond the classroom.       

            LMES Media Specialist, Angie Groman, who had wanted to establish a writing club at the school, soon jumped on board to bring the idea to fruition.  The duo visited schools in New York that had existing publishing centers, and they modified and expanded upon what they saw to create their own model.

            With funding from the LMES PTO and volunteer support in place, the Leopard’s Pride Printing Press, named for the school’s mascot, was unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony in early April. 

            Teachers at LMES conduct “Writer’s Workshops” in their classrooms which enable students to write a variety of genre.  Once the editing of spelling, grammar and content takes place, and the student and teacher agree that a piece is ready to be published, they put in a request to “hire an editor”. 

            The editor meets with the student to review the written piece, determine the layout, write a dedication page, choose a cover and compile information for the author’s page which includes their photograph.

            A “typist” will then put the writing into a uniform format before sending it to “production”.  Production volunteers laminate each book’s cover, complete with title, author’s name and cover illustration. 

            Finally, the pages are put in order and stapled in the center to create the finished product.  Once the book is returned to the students’ teacher for distribution, the author can add illustrations if desired.

            To date, the Leopard’s Pride Printing Press has published over 300 books and next year’s goal is for every member of the student body to have a published work. “Having a book published adds credibility to the students' efforts and becomes a lifetime keepsake of their talents,” said Ms. Richardson. 

            To celebrate all of the writing that took place throughout the year, staff and students recently gathered in the cafetorium for “Author’s Day”, organized by Ms. Groman, Ms. Richardson, LMES writing coordinator and 4^th grade teacher, Sue Shaw and 5^th grade teacher, Joanne Reynolds. 

            As a source of further inspiration, students were introduced to guest writer/illustrator and former Region 15 student, Allison Valentine.  Ms. Valentine, a graduate of the University of Connecticut, brought along a copy of her book “Little Bo Peep, Her Three Lost Sheep and Other Classic Fairy Tales”. 

            “Our students read constantly and are mesmerized each year when we bring in authors and illustrators to describe the craft of creating children's literature,” said Gusenburg.

            Following a reading of Ms. Valentine’s book and a slide show of her humorous illustrations, students were paired with reading buddies in classrooms throughout the building, to share their own published works.

            “How exciting that our publishing center now makes it possible for our children to become "published" authors,” said Gusenburg.  “Their books will be read by their peers and teachers.  I'm sure parents and grandparents will cherish them for years. The Leopard’s Pride Printing Press is meant to create a mind set that writing is exciting, interesting, and motivating.”

            As students headed to their assigned classrooms, Mrs. Richardson handed each one a book mark that read “writing star”.  “Because that’s what you are,” she said.