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| In Forks, everyone is a Puddle Jumper at some point, but these are the official ones! |
Leaving the town of Chelan, in central Washington state, if
you drive west until you reach a large body of water, then ride a ferry across
that body of water and keep driving west until you reach the ocean, you will
find yourself in the tiny, quaint town of Forks. Made famous by the Twilight
series, set in its city limits, and still featuring Vampire tours, Music night
with Edward and Bella, and Jacob Black's Rentals, Forks is also the home of my
new friends, the Puddle Jumpers.
Such is the nickname carried by all students at Forks
Elementary, where, I learned on my first day there, "It's Great To Be
Alive, It's Great To Be A Puddle Jumper!" Forks is situated in the Olympic
Rainforest, and they receive over 100 inches of rain (that more than 8 feet, by
the way) a year. I can attest to that during my short 36 hour stay!
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| Time to kick off a Reading Program! |
I was there at the invitation of the Forks Elementary
principal, Rob Shadle, who also happens to be a childhood friend of mine. He
has done great things there, and there is a spirit not only of learning, but
excitement of learning that permeates the building. You sense it in the
teachers, and it flows out of them into their students. March 2 was the day
they kicked off their Spring Reading Program and I was asked to come and share
my love of reading through my book Fibonacci Zoo.
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| Bring in those Puddle Jumpers! |
I gave nine presentations that day, as I welcomed all
ages, from the sweet Pre-Ks through the academically strong 3rd graders. The energy
was palpable, and summed up best by one of the 2nd grade teachers, Mrs. Haag,
who said "anyone who can keep 40 second graders quiet and on the edge of
their seats for half an hour must be doing something right!"
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| The gorgeous Second Beach in La Push |
After a short break in the afternoon, spent exploring the
rough and rugged Washington coast in "Jacob Black" territory on the
Quileute Reservation, I was back for an evening presentation open to the
public. It was so exciting to see so many familiar student faces from earlier
in the day (who by now knew all the answers!) along with their parents
and family members and even community members who came for the curiosity (and delicious
cookies from JT's Sweet Stuffs)
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| Thanks Laura and the Pacific Inn! |
After the presentation, I did a book signing and was
overwhelmed by the manner in which parents in Forks support and encourage their
kids' love of reading. The town struggles with poverty. While the Twilight mania
brought (and still brings) much needed tourism money to town, the elementary,
for example, struggles with over 70% of their students qualifying for free and
reduced lunch from the government. And yet, parents were quick to buy books,
often multiple copies in multiple languages, in order to foster a love of
learning in their children.
I sold out of almost everything I brought, including science
books and Spanish language versions of Fibonacci. As I drove out of town the
next morning on my long journey back home, I was filled with hope for our
future. Hope that was evident in the face of every little Puddle Jumper I met
there in Forks.
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| The site of my evening presentation - a beautiful facility! |
