PRESQUE ISLE , Maine — The community is invited to attend a book release celebration of “A Gift from the Future to the Leisure Village Writers.” The celebration will take place on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 21, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the dining room of Leisure Village in Presque Isle.
Fourth-graders in Mrs. Kimberley Wright’s 2016-17 class wrote “A Gift from the Future to the Leisure Village Writers” as their own response to local author Martie Pritchard’s book, “A Gift to the Future from the Leisure Village Writers,” a compilation of personal stories written by the Leisure Village writers’ group.
The fourth-grade class interviewed some of Pritchard’s featured authors and wrote their own stories. Wright said the project gave her students an authentic writing experience addressing several of the standards required under the district’s language arts curriculum. In addition, the experience formed a bridge from the elders to the youth, and Wright hopes her students, as they grow older, will continue that bridge to their next generation.
“Children’s engagement and interest make things happen,” Wright said. “Such was the case for this project. In an age where technology can be all-consuming and overwhelming, we need to afford opportunities such as this to our young people, a critical piece of their molding as human beings that is fast disappearing.”
Because of the project, she added, lots of friends were made and many lives have been enriched through the friendships and stories shared.
Copies of the book will be available, and may also be purchased at Merchants on the Corner, Amazon, or from Pritchard or Wright.
