Swan Valley High School

What I did on spring break, otherwise known as my visit to Saginaw Swan Valley High School, April 26, 2012

I had the great fortune of being selected to speak at Saginaw Swan Valley High School as part of the book tour for the Michigan Notable Book Award.

It was a remarkable experience. This is a school with a competitive writing team, for crying out loud! (Which won their conference championship last year, BTW.) At SVHS, writing is a priority, and it shows in many ways.

I started out by giving a presentation on following your dreams to 430 students in the auditorium. I had no idea what to expect (but of course was hoping simply to escape in one piece). The students shocked me. They were quiet, respectful, and even paid attention. They were also polite, as shown when they laughed at my lame jokes.

To the left here is me with Mat McRae, Swan Valley's highly-acclaimed principal. He's a great guy who is passionate about literacy.

Following the presentation in the auditorium, I did a writing workshop for approximately 60 students. We talked about point of view as it relates to writing and did a couple of writing exercises, after which a few of the bravest students volunteered to read their work.

It was impressive, to say the least. These kids can write!

Me with some of my adoring fans after the workshop. Okay, I can't even write that with a straight face. Remarkable that these young ladies wanted their photo taken with me.

My bodyguard, I mean escort, Josh, who helped me get around the school after the first presentation.

Finally, the coolest librarian I know, Randy Riley. (Okay, you other librarians, he's one of the coolest.) Randy is the person at the Library of Michigan who organizes the Notable Book Tour. He surprised me by coming to SVHS and hanging out for the day. He was just as impressed with the staff and students as I was.

Thanks, Randy, for the opportunity to experience Swan Valley!