Library collection features new authors

Mark Schlachtenhaufen
The Edmond Sun

EDMOND May 21, 2008 10:41 am

— Holly Randall, a Sequoyah Middle School sixth-grader, added a title to her life story Tuesday that many older Oklahomans only can dream about — published author.
Randall’s hardcover book titled “Don Leonard” is about the brother of Frances Leonard, a Sequoyah math teacher.
Don Leonard was a Secret Service agent in Oklahoma City, and Randall said that during her research she learned about the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995. Leonard, of Edmond, was one of the 168 victims.
Randall is just one of the new Edmond authors who will have their works be part of Centennial Chronicles, a special collection to be housed at Edmond Library.
Another new author, Reed Powell, 10, a Chisholm Elementary School student, said he came up with the title of his book, “Oklahomans in Time.” Powell said the idea came from learning about people who lived during the 1900s and 1800s.
Powell said through the project he learned a lot about the publishing process.
“It takes a lot of time and there might be disagreements, but it ends up being fun,” he said.
Lt. Cmdr. Boog Powell, Reed’s father, said he tries to encourage his son to read and that the family makes reading a regular part of their week. He said Reed’s teacher is good at motivating his son.
Cheryl Swiggett, Reed’s teacher, praised Reed’s parents for emphasizing education, and that their involvement motivates their children.
“I think it’s a great inspiration,” Swiggett said of the program. “It encourages reading and writing.”
Pam Kuzminski, a University of Central Oklahoma professor and president of the Edmond Reading Council, said the district-wide program is supported by Studentreasures, which gives students hands-on experience in book publishing.
The new section containing the student works was approved Monday and it should be complete in a few weeks, Kuzminski said. The focus was Oklahoma history and teacher participation was optional.
Kuzminski said using Oklahoma’s centennial as the theme was a natural tie-in. Student authors ranged in age from kindergarten to high school and they were allowed to choose from a variety of topics, she said.
Other titles included “Oklahoma Memories,” “Original Western Stories,” “How Dinosaurs Got Their Teeth” and “Mani: An Oklahoma Indian Girl.”
Cindy Hodges, an Angie Debo Elementary School enrichment teacher, said what began as a small project developed into a big dream and students were inspired. Through the project, 3,000 books were published, Hodges said.
“Next year, I can’t wait to see the books that they create,” Hodges said.
Studentreasures is a program of Nationwide Learning, which seeks to motivate students to learn to read and write through innovative publishing opportunities. The organization has published millions of books for customers in all 50 states.

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