Four Cazenovia students are on track to become published authors.
Demi Mugaya, Isaac McClintock, Estelle Campagna and Caroline Mattern, all former students at Burton Street Elementary School, participated in a Leap for Literacy-sponsored writing competition last year. Their submissions were selected to become published pieces.
Former Atlanta-based teacher and children’s book author Stanley “Stan” Tucker unveiled their book covers at the school Thursday morning. The unveiling was met with applause from students and teachers alike, said the school’s librarian, Katie McGinnis. She said the other students were inspired by seeing the four’s accomplishments.
“I think every kid in Burton Street wants to write their own book now,” McGinnis said.
She said the students have already asked when they would receive writing kits of their own to begin their own projects.
That’s what Tucker hoped for when he initially started the program in 2019. Tucker, a former school teacher, realized many students in his Cobb County School District didn’t have access to books. He recalled one student coming to him in tears because his mother couldn’t afford them.
“I didn’t want any kid to think just because they didn’t have any money that books weren’t for them,” said Tucker, 41.
Following an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” the same year, Tucker received $25,000 to support a bookmobile, buying books at a book fair and providing them to students. But Tucker said a realization hit him about getting children to become more literate.
“I thought to myself, ‘How cool would it be to have a section of the bookmobile with books written by kids,’” he told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.
Tucker, author of “Stan and the Man,” came to Burton Street two years ago to read his book to kids. McGinnis remembered the children being inspired by the story, a portrayal of Tucker’s relationship with his own father, who passed away when he was a third grader.
“After his presentation, kids just really wanted to get involved and write their own books, and become authors,” McGinnis said.
Students received writing kits from Tucker’s program Leap for Literacy, and the students worked closely with the teachers before submitting their stories to Tucker for consideration.
McGinnis said Mugaya had a hard situation last year when she was bullied for being different based on race. Mugaya, one of the four, is now getting her story published in May.
“She then wrote a story about it to inspire others to not treat anyone differently just because of the color of their skin or the way their hair looks or the clothes that they wear,” McGinness said.
McGinnis said the four are already thinking about writing their next book.
McGinnis praised Tucker for inspiring the children as a “kindness ambassador.” She said he inspires students and teachers to treat each other with respect, which is a key part of the program. The unveiling was met with widespread happy tears, she said.
“We had teachers in tears, we had kids in tears out of pure joy,” she said. “That’s really what I think inspires kids to be readers and writers and have the courage to be able to put their experiences on paper and share them.”