Today I spent St. Patrick’s day at Walker Elementary—the last stop on my Crandall ISD tour! With my many flame shirts, I might have seemed out of luck when it came to showing up in proper attire. Luckily, I had a green flame shirt ready to go! Referring to my own memories of elementary school, I wasn’t taking any chances going to school without wearing green.
I had a fun time performing three more shows and again was delighted by the amount of young writers in attendance. I even met a young writer who had written (and illustrated) THREE books during the previous week of spring break. Great job James Charles!
Thanks and happy St. Patrick’s day to all the great students at Walker Elementary! Thanks to Coach Story, Mrs. Hoffman, Mrs. Roberson, Mrs. Silvey, and Mrs. Gonzales for all the help. And one more big thanks to Mrs. Dye for having me out (and for sitting through all nine of my shows). If any student in any of the Crandall schools was absent during one of my visits, just ask Mrs. Dye about it. I bet she has my show memorized by now!
Day two of my Crandall cruise had me at Wilson Elementary! When I entered the school, (before I was greeted by hundreds of happy students) I was greeted with all kinds of cool Star Wars decorations…throughout the entire school! Anyone who has seen my show knows that I’m a big fan. It turns out that the decorations were there as encouragements for the upcoming STAAR test. So, they were STAAR WARS decorations, as it were. Very cool!
I had another set of three fun shows and another delicious pot luck lunch with the staff. The kids were excited and the staff was welcoming—a great day two!
Thanks again to Mrs. Dye for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Blunt, Mr. Bowie, and Mrs. Perkins for all the help. Thanks to everyone who brought food for another tasty lunch. And a big thanks to all the Wilson Elementary students themselves. Thanks for the fun day and good luck on your STAAR tests. You’re going to do great!
Today was my first day of my short tour of Crandall ISD, beginning with…Martin Elementary in Crandall, TX! I had a fun time performing for all the students and everyone had big energy, insightful questions, and loud pig snorts, duck quacks, and dragon roars! Since the gym was so close to the front of the school, I hope they didn’t scare away the office staff and visitors!
Thanks to Mrs. Dye for inviting me. Thanks to Coach West, Mr. Van Winkle (fellow Eagle Scout), and Mrs. Ferguson for all your help. Thanks to all the teachers and staff members who provided the tasty lunch; everything was delicious! And a big thanks to all the Martin Elementary students. I hope I made for a fun day at school after your spring break!
Today, my impromptu Read Across America Week tour had me at Washington Elementary in Green River, Wyoming! I was greeted with loads of cool welcome signs (I hear everyone in the school had a hand in making them), as well as a bunch of costumed characters from great books! Today was come as your favorite author or book character day. I saw Laura Ingalls, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and even a Jedi padawan!
Marlee and Me! Marlee is the one dressed as Cindy Lou Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas (spoiler alert: Marlee has an empty water bottle holding up her towering hairdo!).
Today’s school appearance was also special because Mrs. Baker had already introduced everyone to one of my all time favorite projects—Wishbone! Remember, if you want to check out one of the episodes I co-wrote (as well as one that contains my brief cameo) you can find it HERE.
Thanks to Mrs. Baker for inviting me and a big thanks to all the kids from Washington Elementary. Good luck on your upcoming PAWS test and I hope you enjoy the special messages I left for you!
My very first school in Idaho was actually four schools in one! I spent time with all the great kids of Driggs Elmentary, Victor Elementary, Tetonia Elementary, and Rendezvous Upper Elementary! The gym was packed full of all the K-3rd graders for my first show and they really brought down the house! The 4th and 5th grade audience wasn’t quite as big but we had just as much fun!
For Lunch, Mrs. Bybee took me and two students out for Pizza! Leo and Whalen cashed in points on their Triple R cards (respectful, responsible, and ready) for a lunch with the principal and got me to tag along! It was great getting to know you guys.
After lunch, I gave two writing workshops to all the 5th graders where I had time to answer all of their writing questions that they couldn’t get out during the show. Remember, if anyone has more questions, they can always email me HERE.
Thanks to Mrs. Bybee for inviting me and setting everything up. Thanks to Mr. Starky for the tech support. Thanks to Mrs. Nelson for taking pictures (and the other teacher—I’m sorry I didn’t get your name). And a big thanks to all four schools for making my first trip to Idaho an exciting one!
Today I spent the morning with the bright young elementary and middle school students of Perdido School, in where else but Perdido, Alabama! Home of the Warriors, they all came out to play as we rocked the gym with laughter, singing, and some elephant noises (that you really have to be careful doing, otherwise you spray the person in front of you).
After my shows, I had the chance to sign a bunch of books and even got my picture taken with the school’s Battle of the Books team. Don’t know what that is? Check it out HERE. I wish they had this when I was in school.
Thanks to Mrs. Miller for inviting me and for being such a gracious host. Thanks to Mr. Duane for setting up everything. Thanks to Mrs. McDonald for taking pictures. Thanks to Miss Bess for the tasty snacks. Thanks to Coaches Ebert and Ryder for the use of the gym. And a big thanks to all Perdido Warriors! I hope you enjoyed my visit and best of luck with the Battle of the Books!
Today I spent a lovely afternoon with all the 2nd graders at Hicks Elementary in Houston, TX. That’s right, just me and grade 2! We had fun discussing reading, writing, and blowing stuff up for movie special effects! Now they can pass along some of those stories to the rest of the school!
I even got some of them to hang back for a group shot!
Thanks to Mrs. Sintuphant for inviting me and thanks to all the Hicks 2nd graders! Keep writing. Keep reading. And speaking of reading… be sure to check out one of the books I signed for your library. I even included a special message just for you!
Oh yes, there was a silly version…
Today I was all over Brush, Colorado where I began my day at Thomson Primary! There was an early morning sea of tiny faces smiling back at me and it was a grand way to kick-start a cold Colorado day!
My next stop was Beaver Valley Elementary! After a brief award ceremony (nothing to do with me; I was just the headliner), I performed for all the 3rd – 6th graders. They were loaded with energy and a ton of great questions!
My final stop was at the East Morgan County Library where I performed for kids and parents alike. I even met some students from my first two shows, where a couple said some of my lines the same time I did. It was like playing a greatest hits tour!
Thanks to Mrs. Alwin for inviting me and setting everything up. Thanks to Christi Bellis and everyone at the East Morgan County Library for prepping for my evening event. Thanks to Trevor and Mr. Acosta for my tech support for the day. And a big thanks to all the Brush, CO kids! It was great hanging out with you (some even twice) and I hope to make it back to your fun state very soon!
Today I ended my latest Kansas tour at Hodgeman County Elementary in Jetmore, KS! I began the day with a presentation to all the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students that ran right into a writing workshop for all the same kids. It was essentially a two-hour session; a first for me! You couldn’t tell by the kids behavior and enthusiasm, though. Everyone was wonderful and had solid questions all the way to the end!
After a delicious school lunch, courtesy of Mrs. Pitts, I gave another presentation to all the Kinder, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders. They were just as great as the older kids and seemed to have way more fun than is normally allowed in school!
Thanks to Mrs. Webb for inviting me and setting everything up. Thanks to the HCE students who were kind enough to shuffle around tables and chairs. Thanks to Julian for the cool fez monkey drawing—another fez monkey for my collection. Thanks to Mrs. Pitts for he delicious lunch (your students have it good!). Thanks to Mr. Chaney for the jar of Kansas honey. And a big thanks to all the HCE students.
What presidential tour would be complete without a stop at Roosevelt Elementary? I finished my McPherson expedition with another presentation for 1st-5th grade Roosevelt Bears. I had lunch and some more signing of the books. And then…all of 2nd grade from the district was bussed in to join me for two writing workshops!
Thanks again to Mrs. Harrison for the whirlwind tour. Thanks to Principal Beam for the early morning tech support. And a big thanks to not only all the Roosevelt Bears but also all of McPherson 2nd graders for providing an enjoyable finish to your town. I hope you enjoyed my writing tips and go on to write something great! And I hope everyone who got a copy of my book enjoys the read. And if you like my book, keep going…read someone else’s, too!
