Professional cartoonist Duane presents an all student assembly that promotes GOAL SETTING, the power of LITERACY and importance of EDUCATION with the four words required for success that all students need to hear! HUNDREDS of schools nationwide have invited Duane into their gymnasiums, auditoriums, cafeterias, libraries and classrooms to motivate, encourage and inspire their students. From full student assemblies, award celebrations, a little motivation before state testing, literacy events and evening parent programs, all Duane needs is an easel and a flip-chart to captivate your students attention and deliver an inspiring and motivating message! Duane was able to begin his professional career while still in school utilizing the pillars of achievement found within DRAW YOUR DESTINY, and he can’t wait to share them with YOUR students!

I love to share the process of book illustration. With PowerPoint, I start by sharing slides of my childhood journey as an illustrator. People need to know that they can succeed even if they experience setbacks. I emphasize hard work, patience, and continuing learning. I show various slides of personal drawings and artwork along with the many steps involved in making a picture book, such as reviewing the manuscript, researching, sketching, and creating artwork. In addition, I may bring sketchbooks, original artwork, and various visual aids for the audience to see firsthand to understand my work better. My presentation lasts 35-45 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A. Presentations will be adjusted according to grade level. I can do up to three presentations per day of the visit.

Jermiko Thomas is an Educational Market Best-Selling Author, TEDx Speaker, and creator of the national and international award-winning Adventures of Walter children’s series. His books promote Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), STEM education, inclusion, friendship, bullying prevention, and autism awareness. Through Cornhill Publishing, he offers K–5 author visits, SEL workshops, STEM demonstrations, read-alouds, writing sessions, audiobook + ASL integration, activity sheets, and curriculum-aligned programming used in schools, BOCES systems, and libraries across Central New York and beyond. Programs support UDL, special education, deaf & hard-of-hearing communities, and general education classrooms. Jermiko Thomas is an Educational Market Best-Selling Author, TEDx Speaker, and creator of the national and international award-winning Adventures of Walter children’s series. His books are known for their engaging, uplifting, and award-winning rhyming storytelling style that helps children connect deeply with themes of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), STEM, friendship, kindness, bullying prevention, autism awareness, and inclusion. He offers K–5 author visits, classroom presentations, interactive SEL/STEM workshops, ASL-integrated sessions, writing residencies, multimedia storytelling assemblies, and teacher professional development, all aligned with literacy standards, UDL principles, special education needs, and district SEL frameworks. Jermiko has been featured on TEDx, WSYR Bridge Street, WKTV, TALK! 100.7 FM, the Rome Sentinel, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, MVCC, and has delivered programs across numerous school districts. His work is officially verified as an Educational Market Best-Selling Author through Ingram Content Group distribution, and his books are placed in public and elementary school libraries across New York State. His mission is to inspire young learners through creativity, resilience, imagination, and the power of reading—proving that big dreams can grow from any community.

Clearwater offers a variety of Hudson River-based environmental education programs. Our signature program is the "Sailing Classroom" aboard the Sloop Clearwater which has become a model for onboard education programs across the country. Clearwater also offers a variety of onshore programming along the Hudson River in our "Tideline" program as well as in-class programming during which we bring a bit of the Hudson River to you. Clearwater's interactive education programs provide hands-on learning to engage students and promote "learning by doing." These programs can be catered to various ages and specialized to meet the needs of the students and teachers.

Dear School District Administrators and Educators, As both a lifelong musician and a proud product of our public school music programs, I’m passionate about bringing real-world music industry experiences into classrooms across New York State. I’ve had the privilege of working with many districts to design exciting, hands-on programs that inspire creativity, connect to STEAM principles, and align directly with state learning standards. My Music Industry Programs combine songwriting, instrument design and repair, live performance, and recording arts—giving students the opportunity to create, innovate, and explore the many sides of the modern music world. Using tools like 3D printers, CNC machines, and digital audio workstations, students connect engineering, math, technology, and art while building instruments, writing songs, and learning to play. These programs encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and self-expression—skills that reach far beyond music class and into every academic subject. As an educator and professional musician, I’ve shared the stage with legendary artists including Walter Trout, Mike Zito, Dickey Betts (Allman Bros.), Tommy Castro, Blackberry Smoke, Levon Helm (The Band), and Arlo Guthrie. I’ve toured with the Masters of the Telecaster (featuring G.E. Smith (SNL), Jim Weider, and Duke Levine (Bob Dylan)), received recognition from the Louis Armstrong Jazz Foundation, Berklee School of Music, and won Best Blues Recording from the Syracuse Area Music Awards two years in a row. I’ve also performed at major events like the NYS Blues Festival, Taste of Country Festival, Chenango Blues Festival, and countless sold-out venues across the region. Beyond performing, I’m deeply invested in arts education and community development. I’m the founder of a thriving Music School in Norwich, NY, serve on the Board of the Earlville Opera House, and act as Main Stage Music Coordinator for the Colorscape Chenango Arts & Music Festival. I also co-founded the Oxford Academy Summer Theater & Performing Arts Camp, Founder of the Norwich Youth Bureau Summer Guitar Camp and provide specialized backline support for touring artists—all of which help connect students to authentic, working examples of the music industry. Music is not just for the music classroom—it enhances literacy, history, math, science, and emotional intelligence. I believe every student deserves the chance to discover their creative voice, and I’d love to collaborate with your district to design a personalized, engaging, and unforgettable program for your students. Let’s create something extraordinary together!

Inspiring author visits, storytelling "concerts" and writing workshops for all grade levels. Awesome Educational Fun! Mark Binder is the author of more than two-dozen books and audiobook, including "The Bed Time Story Book," "Cinderella Spinderella," "It Ate My Sister" and many more. He is an Audie Audiobook Award Nominee, and a Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner. A graduate of Columbia University, he holds an MA in Theater and English. As a storyteller, he has more than 25 years experience in schools around the world. He has taught writing to students in colleges, high schools, middle and elementary schools.

I’ll start each workshop with a slide show of my personal journey into the arts. This will start from my entrance into the arts back in high school where I was guided away from the arts by guidance counselors and administration. I’ve found this to be helpful to mention as many students can relate to this. My entrance into the arts started in ceramics and has led me to Mould Making, Metal Casting, Fiber & Silversmithing. I’ll discuss how perseverance, determination, hard work, and elbow grease has awarded me with scholarships, grants, shows, and teaching opportunities that enable me to travel to craft schools and residencies to continue making work. I’ll show the evolution of my work and include photos of in-process works from different studios throughout the years. This introduction will last about 30 minutes concluding with 15 minutes of questions. I’ll continue with about 20 minutes of demonstrations and disperse materials for hands-on building. At this point, I’ll make my rounds to meet with each student and troubleshoot their project ideas and the best way to construct them. I’ll call the class over to discuss which method of building would be best depending on the desired outcome as there is no one way to make something. Program Descriptions Workshop 1: Personification of an Object First steps into the world of Abstract art by warping reality one object at a time. Students are prompted to give humanistic features/characteristics to inanimate objects to create something that’s never existed before. Workshop 2: Re-Create Everyday Objects Students will be asked to bring in 3-5 everyday objects. We’ll discuss different methods of construction, play with scale, and explore the surface through color and texture. Refrain from bringing in objects that are made out of ceramic materials. Workshop 3: Large Forms inspired by the Ancient World and Today This workshop focuses on giving students the necessary skills to create large vessels. Students will be asked to find references of Vessels from Ancient Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, or contemporary artists. -hand-building on a larger scale helps beginner students quickly adapt to the properties of clay and respond to the material quicker than something small. This method of construction [coil-building] is the oldest method of building with clay, allows for lots of adjustments to form and scale for a beginner student, causes you to be attentive to the material. -Discuss the benefits of hand-building and the freedom/ability to build in a gestural way, why this is helpful. -Ask students to choose or draw a silhouette to mimic for their vessel – A blueprint/reference photo is VITAL to making a successful shape, make this mandatory, this will help assist them in achieving the shape they want to. -brief demo on darting– show them how to edit a shape that’s not going in the direction (shape-wise) that they’re going for. Workshop 4: Advanced Techniques Ask students to make an object (sculptural or functional) using the extruder and slab roller. These can be very gestural, architectural, or realistic. -Demo how to construct a form using slabs slumping/wrapping/template techniques (cut-outs slipped and scored together) -Emphasize that the appearance of the object will be determined by what method of construction students wish to use (explain and show examples of architectural vs. gestural, organic vs geometric forms, etc.) -Demo how to use an extruder and how to attach extruded shapes securely together/to the form. Clay & tools can be provided for an additional fee.

Prepare yourself as Planetarium Adventures takes you on a journey that will Inspire, Innovate and bring Discovery to the classroom. Planetarium Adventures is a completely portable planetarium that comes to you! No matter if you represent a school, a library or even a local community organization, Planetarium Adventures will bring the universe to the classroom. Saving you valuable time and money and the hassle of transportation. Planetarium Adventures uses proven tools to open the world of astronomy and the wonderment of our solar system to the young scientists of tomorrow! Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about our curriculum and procedures

The Ultimate Human Board Game features a LIFE-SIZE game board with three color-coded sides! The board is made up of 16 squares, each representing a different exciting activity. The entire group is divided into three teams (green, blue, and red). The game begins when one team rolls the dice and lands on an activity in which all three teams compete to win. The Ultimate Human Board Game is based on character building, teamwork, sportsmanship, and total participation. Activities such as the Silly Dance and Lip Sync Challenge are audio-enhanced. This fast and spirited game is sure to generate a level of excitement and teamwork in students which will amaze you! Indoors preferred. Indoor backup plan required for inclement weather.

I am Yolanda T. Marshall, an award-winning Caribbean-heritage author of diverse, inclusive, festive children's literature. I have 20 books to read from! I am an energetic storyteller who performs interactive book readings for large groups. My books and storytime include music, singing and dancing! The main themes of my books are about everyone (regardless of cultural identity) coming together to celebrate our similarities and differences. It is a space for childhood joy, laughter and learning something new about each other. My readings are for 45 - 60 mins of multiple books. We take little dance soca breaks to keep moving. I present my book on a projector so everyone can see the vibrant and beautiful illustrations by the illustrators. My virtual readings - books are presented on the screen in classrooms - we get to have a fun party, aka storytime, at our desks!

High-energy 45-minute assembly programs about bullying-prevention, character education, reading, and science. Who knew LEARNING could be this much FUN?!

We offer dynamic, bilingual programs tailored for our diverse community, showcasing author visits, writing workshops, poetry readings, and engaging cultural events. Through immersive experiences, we celebrate heritage as our superpower, focusing on Afro-Caribbean culture and exploring themes like personal and cultural identity, belonging, migration, and family values. Our programs are designed to be engaging and culturally responsive, offering a rich fusion of experiences for all.