My Visits to Dennison and Devinny Schools in Lakewood, CO

After visiting two schools in Omaha, Nebraska, I drove to Denver, Colorado where  my husband and I visited several schools in or near the Lakewood suburb. A kindergarten teacher at Dennison Elementary, Robin Wheatley, organized our visit for Tuesday, November 8, 2011. The presentations were in the Gym, and despite the fact that they were large groups (100+ students in each), the children were very attentive and respectful.

9:00-9:45 am  Grade 6
9:50-10:30  Grades K & 1
10:35-11:20 Grade 4
12:10-12:50 pm Lunch
12:50-1:35 Grade 3
1:40-2:25 Grade 2
2:30-3:15 Book Signing in Library

Sadly the teachers were not able to attend the program with their students, so they relied on feedback from the kids to know what we talked about. One teacher’s students were so enthusiastic she wrote:

Dear Tammy,

I think the kids thoroughly enjoyed your visit. I think they enjoyed hearing and seeing the process you go through to write and illustrate a book. I know they enjoyed interacting with your husband, when they got to be part of the orchestra. Those types of activities are always engaging to children.

Thank you for the visit.

Sincerely,
Marijo Lovell
First Grade Teacher
Dennison Elementary

As we left the school I noticed that Dennison Elementary was awarded a Blue Ribbon in 2010 under the No Child Left Behind Act. Congratulations, Dennison!

The following day I went to Devinny Elementary, also in Lakewood. The librarian, Angela Wagner, did a fabulous job introducing us to each group. Angela was very enthusiastic and fun to work with.

Devinny Elementary Librarian, Angela Wagner (left), and Tammy.

Wednesday, November 8, 2011 Schedule:
9:50-10:30 AM Kinder/1st (6 classes)
10:40-11:20 AM 2nd Grade (4 classes)
11:25-12:05 AM 3rd Grade (3 classes)
12:05-1:05 PM Lunch
1:05-1:45 PM 6th Grade (4 classes)
1:50-2:30 PM 4th Grade (4 classes)
2:35-3:10 PM 5th Grade (3 classes)
3:15-4:30 Book Signing

Devinny Elementary Library

All of the Devinny presentations were in the library, and they had a great projection system with a document camera that I could use to show students small details of my art and writing. The teachers attended the programs with their students, and one teacher wrote:

Hi Tammy,
I am a 6th grade teacher at Devinny Elementary. The 6th graders really enjoyed seeing how you created your drawings. In addition, we are currently doing the research portion of a nonfiction paper, so when you talked about doing lots of research before you start writing, it really tied to our work in the classroom.

Thank you for a great presentation!!

Melissa Girard
Devinny  Elementary
6th grade teacher

Thank you, Ms. Lovell and Ms. Girard, for writing. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting both of your schools!