Local educator Dawn Kerr and her class at Kosciusko Upper Elementary have been announced as finalists in the 2020-21 National Book Challenge hosted by Studentreasures Publishing. For this honor, the class will receive a $50 gift card, plus a published author certificate for each student. Each of the student authors were recognized for their contribution to their book, Animals around the World, which was published earlier this year through the free publishing program of Studentreasures.
Ms. Kerr and her students created Animals around the World when they were inspired by their favorite animals. The student authors put forth their best effort, researching, writing about, and illustrating their Animals book before they sent their complete pages to be published.
“What an AMAZING accomplishment! I knew without a doubt that these children had something special about them from the moment they entered Kosciusko Upper Elementary! Each student has his or her own unique personality and loves to express it! As their principal, I LOVE this! I encourage very student to own themselves! I teach them to be proud of who they are and the difference they are making!” said school Principal Josh Dodd.
“This book created challenges and required the students to think outside the box. It was an absolute honor to watch their imaginations come to life through this book. They truly exceeded all expectations. As their teacher, I could not be more proud of their hard work and dedication. What a privilege it has been to be included in the journey of their first published book!” said Kerr.
As a finalist in the one-and-only National Book Challenge, Ms. Kerr’s class book was selected from entries across the country and awarded as a Top 50 book based on its originality, creative storyline, and colorful illustrations. This nationwide contest was open to more than 60,290 books that were submitted to Studentreasures for free publishing this school year.
“At Studentreasures, we are fortunate to witness tremendous creativity and talent from classrooms around the country and all students who publish their own books. We especially congratulate Ms. Kerr and her students for earning this unique achievement and completing project that provided lasting memories and a one-of-a-kind keepsake,” said Chad Zimmerman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Studentreasures.
“Educators share that creating their own books through our fun and easy publishing program motivates students to write, inspires learning, and instills pride. Additionally, these students now have the honor of being recognized for creating one of the top student-published books in the country as part of our National Book Challenge,” he said.
