By Mike Sever
Record-Courier staff writer
Like many youngsters, the 22 first-graders in Sandi Arbogast's class at Waterloo Primary School love to read, especially when they're the main character in the story.
Recently, students from Jessica Cervenak's high school creative writing class wrote story books about the first-graders. It's the fifth year the two classes have collaborated. Arbogast and Cervenak said the assignment helps build a community among the students.
Members of the creative writing class, consisting of students from grades nine through 12, individually interviewed first-graders. They had a few weeks to write and illustrate a book based on what they'd learned. Then, the "senior high friends," as Arbogast calls them, returned to read the stories to the first-grader featured in it.
As part of their class, Cervenak has her students review a range of children's story books.
"We look at the number of words per page, the type of words. We talk about trying to write for the age level and audience," she said.
The books also have to show the youngsters what's going on, not just tell them.
In this year's class, some students chose to hand draw while others used computer clip art or traced characters out of other books. Angel Rios came back and took pictures of her first-grader and used them to illustrate her story.
For her book about Shawn Schreckengost, Adrianna Rios drew pictures of Shawn and his dog, Gracie. Adrianna left the pictures as line drawings so Shawn could color them in himself later.
Shawn smiled and said he liked the book about Gracie and himself.
"Sometimes I use her belly as a drum," he told Adrianna.
Seth Horning wrote a book entitled "The Coolest Day Ever" about Jerrod Stout, styling the book with different levels, like a video game. Jerrod said he liked the part about driving a monster truck.
Seth said he enjoyed the experience.
"It's kind of cool to come down and talk with the kids," he said.
The books often become cherished keepsakes, Arbogast said.
"A lot of the kids have shown me the books the seniors did for them."
When it was time for the senior high students to leave, Arbogast asked her first-graders if they enjoyed the books and if they liked having their new "senior high friends" in class. The youngsters gave out a loud "Yes!" to each, the cheers ringing in the hall as the big kids headed back to class.