Dirks-Anderson Elementary is on the map! The school has been chosen as a stop on the one-time Busload of Books Tour. Supported entirely by private donors, illustrator/author married couple Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson (and their 4 kids) will spend one year visiting Title I schools in every state. This free enrichment opportunity was highly competitive. Out of over 300 applications, only 52 were selected: one school per state, plus DC, with two schools selected in Texas due to its size.
During their visit to Dirks-Anderson, Behr and Swanson will give one free brand-new book to each elementary-school student, teacher/support staff, and administrator. They will also provide two interactive presentations about creativity, writing, and art: one for pre-K through 1st grades, and one for 2nd through 5th grades. Additionally, a select group of upper-elementary students will eat lunch with Behr and Swanson, during which time they can discuss careers in writing, art/media, publishing, and more. The visit is scheduled for the last week of school in December 2022. To see more about their plans, go to https://robbiandmatthew.com/busload-of-books/
A generous grant from the Higher Education Foundation led Dirks-Anderson teacher Amanda Fisher to this competition. With her recently awarded grant money, Fisher updated her fourth-grade classroom library primarily from First Book Marketplace, a non-profit that sells heavily discounted books exclusively to Title I teachers and staff. It was First Book Marketplace, which is partnering with Behr and Swanson, that invited Fisher to apply.