Fort Wayne Community Schools
Students in two FWCS middle schools will have opportunities on Wednesday, March 15 to speak with their favorite author! Retired teacher turned author Sharon Draper, who writes books for teens and motivational materials for teachers, will be at Northwood Middle School for an 8:30 a.m. assembly and at Jefferson Middle School at 1 p.m. She will talk about her books, the writing process and becoming a writer. At Northwood, students have been reading her novels in homeroom and in language arts classes, so that all students will have read a novel by her prior to her visit. Students are also creating a musical presentation that will be put on a CD and presented to her during the 8:30 a.m. school wide assembly which will last until 9:35 a.m. Then, from 9:45-10:45 a.m., the author will sign books for students. This year as part of Jefferson's School Improvement Plan, students have focused on Draper's novels, which are often set in an urban environment because that is where she grew up and taught. Throughout February, all Jefferson students and staff read her new novel - Copper Sun. Each student and staff member had his/her own copy of the book. There were discussions and activities by grade level throughout the month. Following the Jefferson assembly, Draper will sign books for students who are members of the Draper Reading Club. After school, the author will meet with the Jefferson and Northwood staffs to discuss teaching and how to get students to read. For information, contact Matthew Schiebel, Northwood principal, 425-7424 and Michael Morris, Jefferson principal, 425-7374.