What can a once-regally dressed but then battered china rabbit teach young people about reading, life and living with others? At Duanesburg Elementary School, plenty.
From their October kick-off assembly, to reading “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo with their classmates and families, to volunteering to create culminating projects, DES students fully embraced the One School, One Book program and all it has to offer.
Funded by a grant, One School, One Book is a character education project aimed at reinforcing peaceful schools, positive behaviors and a love of reading. As part of the program, everyone reads the same book, and school-wide activities center on the stories and messages.
At Duanesburg Elementary, classroom activities focused on the book. Staff videotaped themselves reading chapters. Teachers and students talked about china rabbit Edward Tulane’s many experiences and how they related to life today.
“Our culminating project, which illustrates the messages and story of Edward Tulane, was fully voluntary, and many of our students participated,” said Elementary Principal Andrea Conover. “They wrote essays, made dolls, painted a shirt, created a card game, made jewelry, created illustrations – all to share with others what they learned.
“Some students joined with classmates, friends or family members in creating their projects, and we proudly displayed all of them outside our main office.”
Principal Conover thanked everyone for their involvement in and great support of One School, One Book and said the school hopes to again secure funding for the program in the future.
For more photos of the projects, visit our Facebook page @duanesburgschools
