J. Patrick Lewis at Parish!

It's not everyday that the Children's Poet Laureate visits your school! Our first and second graders had the pleasure of visiting with Dr. J. Patrick Lewis (Pat) who is also the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) 2011 recipient of the Excellence in Poetry Award. We began the day in our library before he traveled to Midway to meet with third through eighth grades. He is the author of over 70 books for children, and he had a lot to say about how important it is to be a reader in order to be a writer. He talked about the need for a writer to observe and remember. He amused and entertained with some of his popular poetry riddles and he created laughter with his clever word play. After school we celebrated Parish's first Literary Festival where student writing was celebrated and Pat met with students, teachers, parents, and guests. Exciting things are happening in the Parish libraries!



Second graders shared some highlights of the visit with classmates who might have been absent and missed the excitement.