My Finest Hour.....by Drew Swartz

Drew turned in his next comic a while ago, but I've been slow on posting it....my bad! 

My Finest Hour.....by Drew Swartz

Our first StudentsXpress comic debuts right before summer break. I'm sure many students are excited for the summer and to be far away from homework. I'm looking forward to seeing what "My Finest Hour," by Drew Swartz of Nettelhorst, will have for us during the break. Check back to find out....

StudentsXpress at Printers Row Lit Fest

On June 8, my daughter Sam came with me downtown to lead a workshop with Maura Walsh from Edwards Elementary. Maura is an Art Teacher and Librarian, so mixing books and art is perfect for her. Her project was to create mini book pendants that the kids could take home with them. I was not expecting so many people to be there on a Sunday morning! It was a lot of fun.

Sam having coffee and breakfast at Hotel Blake after checking in.

Talking about StudentsXpress to the attendees.

Maura Walsh helping a family with the craft.

Sam's finished pendant.

The project was fun for all ages.

Sam outside the Trib Nation tent, where our workshop took place.

StudentsXpress SPEAKS!

June 5 was our first StudentsXpress SPEAKS night, and I couldn't be happier. The students who read their pieces on stage were truly amazing. In addition to the students, we were so happy to have Under the Gun Theater perform mini plays based on the writings of CPS students, and Regin Igloria from North Branch Projects was there to teach bookbinding to the students and their families. Thank you to everyone who came out. I hope we are able to do more in the future.

Below is a video shown at the event of student artwork from our Summer "books" issue.

Kate Burns, from Hamilton Elementary, shared her opinion about reading books vs. seeing the movie:

There have been several times when I find that I am completely intrigued in a certain book. Often, I like to share my love of the book with another person. Solving this, I walk around and ask people whether they have read the book or not. The answers pep ole give are quite assorted, but in my opinion the strangest answers are the terrible ones in which the people say that they have seen the movie instead. To my great disappointment, these answers are quite frequent and are from many people. They leave me in total awe at the people that don’t read the book before they watch the move.

    Imagination is a wonderful asset. It gives you the freedom to picture anything in your head as you think it would be, to create a world absolutely different from your won. As you read a book, you can use your imagination to your advantage, making the story’s illustrations up in your mind. However, while watching a movie, you have the whole entire picture right in front of you. With this little to imagine, for me it becomes a boring thing to see. I believe that books exercise one’s brain, and that is very important. To be settled down, reading a book and picturing dozens of people, places and things is a great joy. Books have many wonderful ideas and descriptions to enjoy that movies would never have.  

Jelani Caulton, from Hamilton Elementary, gives his summer reading recommendation:

I have a book recommendation for you this summer. It’s called Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. I recommend this book because it is funny, interesting and it takes place during the summer. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is about a kid named Greg, who is always having rotten luck, but every once in a while a little good luck comes his way.

My favorite place to read is the Barnes and Noble bookstore. It has all of my favorite books, like Worlds Collide, a series of graphic novels. It also has good snacks, fun toys and tablet games. I like reading books because it sends you on adventures that you will find nowhere else.

Marley Kravitz, from Alcott College Prep, reciting the two poems she submitted to the Books issue:

Books are amazing

Books are like time machines,

They can take you to any place or era,

They can be mysteries,

Or simply be about a girl named Clara,

They can take you to ancient Egypt,

They can teach you about anything you would like to know,

They can explain about science and the eclipse,

They can take you anywhere you would like to go,

They require a skill,

An important skill,

Once you can read them they are a thrill,

Don’t stop reading!

Books are like machines

Books are like machines,

Although they may not have an engine,

Or a touch screen,

They can still take you more places than google earth,

Or give you more information than bing,

And they can also be a magical thing,

They can whisk you off to worlds you may have never imagined,

They may not have a keyboard,

But they are more reliable than any I-phone you will ever have

Waters Elementary student Gavyn Conway gets assistance making her mini book pendant
from Emma Ott, an Edwards Elementary art teacher.

Regin Igloria, from North Branch Projects in Albany Park, teaches attendees the art of bookmaking.

Under the Gun Actors, Kate Parker, Allison Ungar and Phylicia McLeod, get physical as they act out mini plays based on student work (not pictured: Kevin Mullaney directed the sound)

Introducing Drew Swartz, 6th grade student from Nettelhorst Elementary, who designed the StudentsXpress SPEAKS backdrop. I liked Drew's cover for our "Music" issue in March, and thought that same look would be perfect for StudentsXpress SPEAKS, so I commissioned him to come up with a design. Drew will also be starting a regular comic to appear on this blog, which will debut next week. So be sure to check back!