Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 09/17/2008 12:42 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 09/17/2008 12:42 PM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
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Arnold Rotary Books Sports Author at Hazel Fischer School~By By ThePineTree Pedaler, Brett Loring
White Pines, CA....Sports author Jeff Savage presented to students and teachers at Hazel Fischer School today as part of an alliance between the school and Arnold Rotary to promote literacy. Hazel Fischer School librarian Suzi Furuya arranged for two school assemblies featuring Mr. Savage (he preferred to be called “Jeff” by students) with follow-up visits to classrooms to talk about books -- reading and writing them. Vallecito Union School District Board member, Mike Milward, also current Arnold Rotary president, came to enjoy an enthusiastic presentation by Jeff.....
Children were mesmerized as Jeff told about growing his love of sports and writing about them from a strange attachment to his football as a young boy. He shared that he loved sports so much that he would even take the football to the dinner table and hold onto while he did his homework. His fascination with sports grew into his writing over 174 books including biographies of Kristy Yamaguchi, Jeremy McGrath, Tiger Woods, Jim Abbott, Tony Hawk, and other athletes who had overcome a hardship to become excellent in their sport or who otherwise demonstrated extraordinary character. Jeff eventually ventured into writing books about other things he loves, including old west history.
Jeff shared that his love of writing also stemmed from a teacher saying that some poetry he had written was so good that she didn’t believe he had written himself. He took that as a challenge to see himself as a great writer. He took that grade of a “C” from his teacher and claimed it to remind him of the Confidence he needed to continue and develop his love of writing. As he captured students’ excitement about writing, Jeff also emphasized the importance of visiting the library for research, developing good questions for interviews, and finding a quiet place to write.
Students heard from Jeff about the privileges of being a sports writer, which include free press passes, box seats, opportunities to be on the field, face-to-face interviews with athletes, and free food. Jeff worked as a sports writer for the San Diego Tribune while he was in college.
This special opportunity for Hazel Fischer came about because Arnold Rotary Club wrote and won a Rotary District Simplified Grant for youth literacy in 2007-08. The grant had two parts: (1) Provide each student at Hazel Fischer Elementary School with a voucher to purchase a book of his or her choice from Scholastic Books in Spring 2008. The belief is that kids will read more when they choose what they read, and that ownership of books promotes literacy. (2) Sponsor a visit to the school and an assembly by a real-live author. The contract was signed last year for this upcoming appearance. (Theory: when kids "put a face on" a dream, it is more likely to become real. Every 1st-5th grade student at Hazel Fischer will now be able to say he/she has met a real author.)
Similarly, to promote a love of reading, random students in the upper grades will be chosen to receive a free youth-oriented magazine subscription of their choice. The principal and librarian will invite the students into the principal’s office one at a time to let them know they’ve been selected and will present them with a choice of magazine to which they will receive a year’s subscription.
This is the Rotary International Foundation at work in our community! Thanks, Rotary, for helping us book a great event for our students!
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