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Fun and Inspiration at St. Aidan’s Christian School

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I visited a really great school last week in north Winnipeg (not far from where I grew up) called St. Aidan’s Christian School. It may be one of the smallest schools I’ve visited so far in terms of number of students, but this school proves that being small can be a BIG plus. First, I noticed right away that everyone seemed to know each other, even from grade to grade, kind of like a big family – how cool is that? And since the classes I visited weren’t too big, we all got to chat with each other and get to know each other a bit better, even in a pretty short time. I definitely enjoyed that! I was even invited to stay for lunch – again, something a family might ask a guest to do. This was the first school visit where I was invited to lunch, which was a totally delicious meal of tacos (mmmmm….mouth is watering thinking about tacos – yum!). There was also great conversation with students and teachers over our meal. Thank you so much, it was really fun!

All right – so I’ve mentioned the super friendly atmosphere at St. Aidan’s (and the tacos!). Now let me say something about the TALENT – wow! I visited two classes and in each one we did some reading and talking, as well as a writing workshop. Especially when we were into the workshop part and students started sharing ideas, it became very clear in both classes that I was among: natural storytellers (remember all those zoo stories?), budding novel writers (can’t wait to read your books!), history lovers, animal lovers, visual artists, outdoor adventurers (those Gem Lake stories proved that!), poets, readers, movie critics, one or two (or more!) very funny comedians…tons of creativity and thinking going on at this school. As a writer, there can be nothing more inspiring than being with others who love to share ideas, create things, and express themselves. I guess you can tell I had a great morning!

Thank you to the students and staff at St. Aidan’s for the chance to visit your unique and awesome school. I’m so glad we got the chance to meet and talk. Keep on working on your projects and dreams. Till we meet again!

Karin 🙂

Governor Semple School – Friends Who Are Family

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I visited a very special grade 3/4 class at Governor Semple School last week. There are many reasons why I call this class special! First, they were bursting with ideas, enthusiasm and creativity. Second, this class is in so many ways just like the class that I imagined Chloe Lambert from “No TV? No Fair!” being a part of. (For one thing, the school is a hop, skip and jump away from Kildonan Park in Winnipeg – the park that Chloe visits and loves in the book!). Third and most important, this class shared with me an amazing discovery: you don’t have to be related to be family. Or, said another way – your friends are your family. So, this class wasn’t “just” a class, but a family of friends, one that I was welcomed into for an amazing morning of sharing.

I was invited to Room 1 for a morning of students sharing various projects that they had done based on “No TV? No Fair!” (and according to their teacher – another special person!- many of these project ideas came from the students’ own imaginations). Each student had a bound book full of creative art work, book reviews, character sketches, character portraits, wordles, scary stories, imaginary “penalties” for breaking the No TV/No Computer rule, and so much more – there were even double-sided placemats that perfectly captured the ghostly suspense of Mr. Z’s radio story on one side, and gorgeous pressed autumn leaves on the other! The students had many questions for me about the book and about writing – questions that really made me think! And I met students who were phenomenal artists, writers, comedians, thinkers…I even got to watch a dance rehearsal for an upcoming recital (in fact, I think the recital may have already taken place, and I just know it was AWESOME!).

We celebrated out visit with scrumptious cupcakes – mmmmmmmm….. I was presented with a colorful collage poster with the names of my new friends, a special card, and a magnificent arrangement of tissue paper flowers – just like the ones Chloe made for Mr. Z when he was recovering in the hospital. It’s an incredible piece of art! I move it around my house to inspire me – it’s right beside my computer when I write and it’s in my kitchen when I’m dreaming up something to cook for dinner. I’m a little like Mr. Lambert who loves to experiment in the kitchen – but I try not to burn the vegetables! 🙂 Stay tuned – as soon as I charge up my camera, I’m going to post a photo of these stunning, colourful flowers. They are so beautiful, they must be shared with the world!

I will never forget this family of friends at Governor Semple school and hope to visit again sometime. Till we meet again!

Karin 🙂