Caldecott medalist Paul O. Zelinsky’s school visits are about making connections: between a story’s key ideas and the artist’s tools he uses to express them; between the characters in a story and the reader, and hugely, his own connection to audiences of schoolchildren. Drawing for and with them, bringing them into his studio with slides and animations, he loves to get across how making books is fun, funny, interesting and an endless opportunity to learn. Many authors and illustrators with long careers and many honors and awards no longer visit schools and classrooms, but this is a connection Paul Zelinsky hopes never to give up. Paul O. Zelinsky is the creator of the classic moving-parts book THE WHEELS ON THE BUS and the Caldecott-medal-winning RAPUNZEL and its companion RUMPELSTILTSKIN, among others, and the illustrator of numerous notable books including Z is for Moose (written by Kelly Bingham), Dear Mr. Henshaw (Beverly Cleary) and many more.

Dumpster Doug travels the earth searching for the sources of air, land and water pollution and then shows K-6th graders that small changes make a huge difference when it comes to protecting the earth’s natural resources. Students learn about the 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Read so they too can become Eco-Superstars in the funniest and most magical environmental assembly show your school will ever see! Watch a dirty soda can become brand new and filled with soda as it is magically recycled in just 30 seconds. Witness trash being turned into useful products instantly as it enters a recycling bin and see a scrap of paper turned into something valuable (a one-hundred-dollar bill) instead of being tossed aside. Tons of audience participation keeps kids on the edge of their seats while the teachers laugh along with all the great lessons. It’s the perfect assembly show for Earth Day celebrations or anytime of the year. Support your Green School goals and give your students a resource conservation show they will talk about for months on end with the Dumpster Doug Ecology Show.

A leading motivational speaker and author, I share stories and insights that have enabled me to triumph over cerebral palsy and hearing loss, framing the program around the importance of love, family, and forgiveness in our lives. Though I was in a wheelchair for four years, and can now walk pretty well, the journey has not been easy. Though physically bullied in school and rather than respond in anger, I chose to forgive and help the bullies! A positive attitude can help us celebrate our unique gifts while kindness and respect can help those gifts be revealed. Each program culminates in a powerful documentary video to demonstrate, by example, that we should always focus on our abilities. As a former special needs kid, I describe how optimism and confidence allows us to share an important life philosophy using three simple words: Yes I Can! Which is precisely the title of my published book, helping teen readers and parents overcome self-doubt when faced with tremendous challenges. DETAILS FOR GRADE SCHOOLS: Shorter 35-minute presentation for grades K-2 (focused on disability awareness, character education, kindness and respect, and the qualities of a superhero) followed by a longer 60-minute presentation for grades 3-5 (focused on anti-bullying, leadership, and resilience). Two assemblies maximum per day, preferably before lunch. To help with drive time and share travel expenses from my New Jersey home, I suggest programs at multiple schools on consecutive days. Please email me to establish initial contact, due to my hearing loss, or leave voicemail on my landline. Also open to an introductory Zoom meeting for a "meet-and-greet" and to answer your questions. ONLINE SPEAKER RESUME: www.JustTheWayYouAre.com/resume

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!

Historic Huguenot Street is a 10-acre National Historic Landmark District and museum in New Paltz, NY. Visitors at HHS can experience thousands of years of history at our seven historic stone-house museums, reconstructed 1717 French Church, original burying ground, and replica Esopus Munsee wigwam. Historic Huguenot Street envisions a nationally recognized historic site that will inspire guests to think in new ways about American history while also carrying forward the conversation about the relationship between past and present. In-person K-12 field trips are offered September-November and April-June. Outreach visits to your school are available January-March. Visit https://www.huguenotstreet.org/programs or email education@huguenotstreet.org to learn about our field trip offerings. Testimonials: “My students were able to experience what life was like in those times.” “As a teacher as well as school principal, it is evident how well prepared the tour guides were to share historical information.” "My students really love all of the hands on activities and rich cultural experiences."

Bright Star Touring Theatre has grown to become one of the nation's largest professional touring theaters for young audiences. Bright Star was founded in 2003 and currently expects to serve around 4,000 audiences this year with programming across America and around the world. Bright Star annually offers more than 60 different 45-minute programs ranging from anti-bullying and literary classics to American history and science-based STEM shows. Bright Star is the nation's largest provider of Black History programming and has had the honor of bringing shows to venues as diverse as the National Park Service and the National Archives and to schools and libraries across New York State. This season, our programs include more than 70 shows, including Peter Pan, Winnie-the-Pooh, A Dickens Tale, Bullysaurus Rex, The Story of Anne Frank, The Life of Dr. King, Let It Shine: The American Civil Rights Movement, a bilingual Little Red Riding Hood, and more. In addition to touring productions designed to perform in any space, the company offers theater production camps, theater workshops, residencies, and more. Our shows include comprehensive classroom study guides, post-show Q&A's, and professional actors that join our company from around the country. We are always here to answer questions and help you become acquainted with us and our work! We can't wait to entertain your young audience, as we've done for millions of audience members around the globe.

You Can Do a Graphic Novel, Comic Book, Meme, or Zine Categories: Creative Writing, Visual Arts Curriculum. Costs VIRTUAL PROGRAMS (ZOOM) One-hour interactive classes, unlimited participants: $500.00 LIVE IN-PERSON PROGRAMS One day: $1,200.00 Four days: $3,800.00 Eight days: $6,500.00 For venues more than 40 miles from Hudson, NY travel cost of $0.50 mile will be added. For venues more than 40 miles from Valatie, NY travel cost of $0.50 mile will be added. Available year-round. Program Theme: Students learn how to create a graphic novel beginning with a six page comic. It doesn’t matter if they can draw. Stick figures are an expressive way for the reluctant artist to begin. Participants are encouraged to bring their sketchbooks and characters they may already be working on. They will learn about The Creative Process, how to write a Character Study, focus on the beginning, middle, end and twist of a story, and Create Layouts. If the program is an assembly, Barbara talks though the program with on-screen illustrations of the process. The school is to provide a computer, projector and screen. Program Description: Each program is custom tailored to the grade, number of students in the class, and number of sessions. If there are four or more sessions per class, the program finishes with a Graphic Novel Exhibition (see below). The Creative Process: 20 creative tips. Creating Characters: Participants complete bio sheets with the character’s name, age, best friend/side kick, powers (if any), biggest fear, life goal, etc. Plotting: Learning how to plot challenges the student to complete a story. Too many begin the story and throw it out somewhere in the middle. The student learns to plot by color code, a method used by film/tv/graphic novel writers. Layout: Participants learn about panels, thumbnails, dialogue balloons, sequence, and making a page pop. Rather than drawing “talking heads,” they draw a close-up, pull back for a long shot, followed by interior, exterior, bird’s eye views. Everybody works at their own pace. Some are advanced artists/writers while others are beginners. It doesn’t matter where they begin as long as they get going. I hand out a “character bible” sheet and encourage them to think about the beginning, middle, end and twist of their story. The twist is what makes the story interesting. I bring in samples of character bibles from Marvel comics which they can keep, and scripts written by professionals. Feedback is an important part of the program. It usually begins when I hold up a student’s drawing and ask them to suggest a name, age, or character trait. The student can take the suggestions or discard them, however, it opens up discussions. In the first session, students are sometimes quiet/shy with other students but by the second, they open up about their characters and stories. After the last workshop, the doors open to parents, friends, relatives, the community, and the local press. Students show and talk about their work…where they got their inspiration for characters/story. The “Graphic Novel Exhibition” attracts a lot of attention and often results in newspaper articles. Having artwork in the newspaper is great for a student’s self-esteem and for their portfolio. Copies of Barbara's textbook You Can Do a Graphic Novel can be ordered for the school library, and discounts are available from the publisher for class-size orders. http://youcandoagraphicnovel.com/students1.htm

Engaging and fun school assemblies that can focus on Kindness, PBIS, Growth Mindset, Leadership, Anti-Bullying and Reading. Three "Basketball" Jones presenters with over 15,000 assemblies performed all over the country. This is a highly recommended assembly that is extremely engaging for both the students and staff.

Kelly de la Rocha is a poet, journalist and founder of poem RENOVATION, a fun, web-based word challenge that promotes literacy, creativity and social-emotional learning. The software was a prize-winner at the 2024 Yale Innovation Summit. Every day, poem RENOVATION presents users with a scrambled snippet of literature. They select words that resonate with them, then move them around on a digital canvas. The rules? There are none. The objective? To create. During her lively, interactive workshops, Kelly details how poem RENOVATION came to be and how it works. Students have an opportunity to create a poem, phrase and/or word art on the site, share their creations, and receive positive feedback. Along the way, constructs including perspective, voice and figurative language are discussed. Poem RENOVATION has been used by hundreds of students from New York to California and has become a favorite, ongoing activity in a number of classrooms. Workshops: *Are appropriate for middle and high school classes *Can be personalized to include literature of the teacher’s choice *Are offered in-person or via video call WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING: “The level of confidence that I saw grow in my students was amazing, from not being willing to share to being willing to share, from sitting quietly and not saying much, to offering a compliment or asking a question to better understand one of their peers.” ~Teacher Valerie Wadsworth, O’Rourke Middle School, Burnt Hills, NY They’re loving it! ~Teacher Renee Duran, Stone Valley Middle School, Alamo, CA It empowered them and it brought them to a place where they wanted to share what they made and they love that their creation was never wrong. I think that was what really made the students feel so special and so willing.” ~Teacher Dena Marie de la Rocha, Gowana Middle School, Clifton Park, NY “I immediately understood the impact it could have on public school children’s literacy and social-emotional development. ~Lauren B. Carpenter, Ed.M, Director of Education Programs, Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT

French Mountain Studios brings a mobile casting lab directly to your school with The Crucible: SPARK — a single-day, hands-on metalcasting workshop for up to 60 students. Students design and carve original relief tiles in pre-rammed sand molds and watch their work come to life in a live metal pour using an environmentally friendly furnace. Every student leaves with a cast metal tile they made themselves — or the class can choose to have their work installed as a permanent sculptural installation at their school. No prior experience needed. SPARK connects visual arts, materials science, and industrial process in a way no classroom can replicate. Available M/W/F and Saturdays. Serves grades K–12.

Picture this: laughter echoing through the trees during spirited team building games, the pride of a child as they climb to the top of a rock wall, and the serenity of hiking along winding trails to discover cascading waterfalls and enchanting forests. At Frost Valley, we weave magic into every moment, crafting a truly unforgettable experience for every guest. Within our program, we celebrate every milestone and cherish every shared smile. Our dedicated Outdoor Instructors are more than just educators—they are role models, companions, and guides. Their mission is to spark meaningful connections within your group and inspire a profound bond with the natural world. We passionately believe in the power of outdoor education, now more than ever. Our science curriculum is designed to kindle student’s curiosity, empower their critical thinking, and deepen their understanding of the environment and their place within it. As you explore the wonders of nature, you are invited to awaken your inner adventurer. Conquer our exhilarating high ropes courses, glide across Lake Cole in a canoe, and build a fire from scratch—each activity a gateway to self-discovery and empowerment. Beyond the thrill, it’s about uncovering the extraordinary found within every individual. Frost Valley is more than a field trip; it is a safe space where friendships blossom, memories are etched in time, and hearts are forever touched. We invite you to delve into the enclosed materials for a glimpse into the magic that awaits you through Frost Valley YMCA’s Outdoor School Programs.

At STEAM Fund (Siegal Trust Enriching Arts & Music) at Community Foundation of Sullivan County, we are dedicated to enriching lives through our diverse Arts In Education programs. Our programs cater to Pre-K, Elementary, Middle & High School children, as well as adults, focusing on essential topics such as Social Emotional Learning, Mindfulness, Health, Anti-Bullying, Coping Strategies, Nutrition, Diversability, and core values like Love, Peace, Equality, Brotherhood, and Sisterhood. STEAM Fund collaborates closely with public school administrators, principals, teachers, and various organizations to bring these impactful programs to schools and organizations. Our experienced teaching artists ensure the delivery of high-quality programs that resonate with individuals through arts and music. STEAM offers the following: ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS: Mindfulness Matters, Nutrition Mission, Do The Right Thing, The Golden Rule Show, Happy Holidays Around The World, Alive Again SONGWRITING PROGRAMS: Theatre Within’ John Lennon Real Love Project, Real Food Rules Song Program, Sing About Learning Program WORKSHOPS/RESIDENCY PROGRAMS: Mindfulness in Motion, Self Care ABCs for Students PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Self Care for You & Your Students, Move It Or Lose It, Integrating Care, Music & Motion, Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness & Breathing Exercise If you are an administrator, educator, or part of the PTA/PTO, contact us today to discover how we can introduce these exceptional programs to your school and community. Let’s work together to inspire, educate, and uplift through the power of Arts in Education.