Author/Illustrator Visit: Clyde

Making an author-illustrator visit to an elementary is AWESOME. Having your name 'up-in-lights' is always exciting. Returning to a community to work with a principal and staff of teachers you've had the pleasure to visit previously? Boat load of superlatives!!!!!

Enter, Principal Peggy. She of the argyle socks & sweater combo in honor of my arrival and crazy sock day. She of the combing-the-community for funding for the Arts. She of the victory-lap year, following her official retirement. She of good friend status. She of creating a building filled with affirmation and hugs. We've been talking about this visit for a long, long, long time. She's been planning for a VERY long time, laying the foundation for my visit for ages. She told me through emails that my visit was to be a gift to her staff. How amazing is that?

I knew that she'd been concocting surprises of delight for me -- ever since we've been earnest about the calendar and getting me on their schedule. I knew that her art-teacher would also be focused, directing the students to create work in preparation for my arrival. Take a look at the cafeteria walls covered in joy for our opening concert-sing-a-long celebration. Aren't those patriotic guitars on parade a brilliant project for my welcome? This is the first time the ENTIRE building of students K - 3rd grade had ever assembled in the cafeteria. I felt the LUV just as soon as I walked into the room!!!!

Here's the launch to my two-day residency. (It takes a little while to get nearly 500 children into one spot.) We're assembling the crowd in the picture above. They came prepared to serenade me with flags in hand. The delightful Mrs. H had worked with every grade during their music classes to be ready for our time together. [Read this previous post with suggestions for setting up a successful author visit.]

                                           "Red, White and Blue............. I love you!"

That's what it looks like when the whole school is in the same place!!! Look at those 'stained glass' windows way in the back ground, created, because everyone knows how much I LUV color!!! What better way to show your appreciation of color than to create custom stained glass windows? I told you they had surprises up their sleeves.

These 'rainbows-within-reach' were also adorning the cafeteria walls. Every rainbow a beam and spectrum of individual glorious reflective color. A celebration of all things elementary school. The names have awesome use of black and white mixed amidst all that full strength color. A true Debbie Clement connoisseur: attention to detail, graphic details of black and white, bordering colossal color.