Elementary students' book up for award

Jeremy McElroy's fantasy has made it out of his mind and onto a page in his own published book, along with his fellow Franklin Elementary second-graders.

"If I was King of the Galaxy," he wrote, "I would have hot fudge sundaes."

Dreams of flying over the ocean, meeting the president, and living rich with $1,005 fill a 43-page book titled "If I ..."

"I gave them the limited topic and let them go," said second-grade teacher Julie Harrington. "I was impressed at the variety of ideas."

Nationwide Learning Inc., the company that provides the kits and publishing for free, was also impressed with the book. Along with a hardback copy, Harrington and her class received a letter stating they had been nominated as a national finalist in the program, a first for any of the Franklin books.

But students will have to wait until May to discover whether they win a $100 scholarship, one of 25 to be awarded. Meanwhile, the laminated book is enough of an award for the class.

"I think we're winners just getting this far," Harrington said.

Each student was allowed one page to write down their dreams and wishes and then another page to make a corresponding drawing. It took days of planning and several drafts.

"It was kind of frustrating," said student Lacy Randolph. "We made a lot of mistakes."

The work was worth it for Randolph because she is proud of her story and the bright colorful drawing next to it. Her wish of building a castle out of Legos is the first in the book. Since she is always playing Legos with her brothers, Randolph knew exactly how many Legos it would take to build her dream castle -- 2,000, twice as many as she has at home.

Franklin principal Rhonda Dunham said the project grabs the children's attention and makes writing fun.

"It gives them something tangible to hold and bring home to mom," she added.

cpierce@semissourian.com

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