At Finch Elementary School in McKinney, Texas, if you say the word "cockroach," you don't get looks of fear or disgust--you get happy smiles and excitement. And that's all thanks to the love of one teacher and one teacher-librarian feel for Maybelle, the pearl-wearing, beribboned, 2010-Bluebonnet-nominated cockroach created by our own Katie Speck, illustrated by Paul Ratz de Tagyos.
The wiki that Bryce Kennaugh, second grade teacher, and Mary Carole Strother, teacher-librarian, developed and implemented at Finch Elementary has just won an award for technology-based projects in K-12 schools, as reported by School Library Journal. As a result of the award, Finch will receive some additional funding.
In the project description submitted for the award, Kennaugh and Strother describe some of the ways Maybelle provided hands-on learning within and without the walls of Finch Elementary, and even in collaboration with other schools, in the areas of science, technology, literacy, storytelling, journaling, and more. The wiki project started with 85 students in one school, and has now reached 1,500 students across the U.S.
The project will end this year with a Maybelle festival hosted by a local bookstore, and Katie will be Skyping in to enjoy the activities!
—Erin
