Category David Harrison Elementary School

May 26 2021

Going to see “my” kids!

Hi everyone,

It’s going to be a good day. At 12:00 I’ll participate in a Zoom meeting with editors at Shell Professional Books and my writing partners in a new book to be with Laura Robb and Tim Rasinski. We already have an agreement to write the book but need to address more of the details prior to a contract being drafted and sent our ways in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Missouri to sign. I can’t start my part before I finish work on the current project with Scholastic, but I’m now within a few weeks from completing that one and eager to begin work on something new.

After the noon meeting I’ll just have time to make a 1:00 visit to David Harrison Elementary School! Yes!! First time I’ve been there this school year, and the last day of classes is tomorrow. Whew! I was worried I wouldn’t get to see the kids and teachers this year but this afternoon I’ll be walking with the principal, Shawn DeWitt, up and down the halls, poking my head into classrooms to wave or pause to say hello. It will be so good.

Last evening Sandy and I went out to eat at a restaurant managed by our grandson Tyler Williams, and a lovely young college student (Regan) who served us (beautifully) was not only a former Harrison student, when the school opened in 2009, she was a 3rd grader and helped cut the ribbon to officially mark the occasion. Is that cool or what?

Feb 18 2021

An event to remember at David Harrison Elementary School

Hi everyone,

No reason to post this picture today except that I like it and just rediscovered it in a file. At David Harrison Elementary they have a unit on famous Missourians called Living Museum and one year a teacher must have added my name to their list. It’s a very nice event. Kids come dressed to match their subject and stand spaced out around the gym. If you pause in front of a student, he/she will give you a brief bio of their character. They are charming. I had the honor of being chosen by two or three students so you can be assured I didn’t fail to pause at each. Sadly, I only received pictures of one of them, this handsome young man. His hair was brushed, he was sporting a tie, and he wore a fine shirt albeit a bit long in the sleeve. I loved it. I don’t know his name. By now he’s in 8th or 9th grade.

Mar 9 2020

The day they opened David Harrison Elementary School

Hi everyone,

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As I’ve said many times, having a school named for me was one of the highlights of my life. David Harrison Elementary opened in 2009 and on the occasion I made a speech to welcome those present as well as the future students and teachers of the school.https://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/school-dedication-pictures/ With few exceptions the post announcing the opening event and including the talk are visited daily. There have been four so far this morning. Yesterday there were six.

I’m not sure who is interested in reading about that occasion after more than ten years, but of course it makes me happy. Jeff wonders if people who are reviewing the school website go from there to my blog. Maybe that’s it. Anyway, I delight in seeing those numbers each day.

Jan 23 2020

Visiting “my” school

Hi everyone,

Pictures of me at David Harrison Elementary yesterday have already been posted on Facebook by others but I still want to say how much I enjoyed visiting with 4th grade teachers — Roxie McQuarry, Shannon Bossing, and Julie Vaughan — plus all three classes of 4th grade students.

The kids are into a poetry unit and one of my books, A PLACE TO START A FAMILY, is on their reading list this year. They wanted to know the differences in how an author prepares to write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. They had a lot of excellent questions, always the sign of strong preparation in the classroom, and I enjoyed providing some answers. I’ll go back later to see how they’re doing so that will be another highlight of my year.