• Can you have fun and be respectful at the same time?  That's a question that renowned author Lester Laminack asked the students when he visited Harrison School on Wednesday, October 14th.  Of course the answer is "Yes!" and Lester demonstrated that during his presentations to all grade levels as he infused his discussion about reading and writing with social lessons on being kind.  Though his talk was filled with humor, it was poignant as well, when he reminded his listeners that every choice we make will have either a positive or negative effect on someone else, and it's up to each of us to choose wisely.  His message hit home, as students reflected on their behavior.  His writing techniques also had an impact, as kindergarten students chose little notebooks from the classroom prize box (so they could have a "super secret spy book" just like Lester) and a third grader held court at recess telling his enthusiastic audience that he was going to grow up to be an author too. After weeks of preparation in Library Media reading his stories, doing related activities, exploring his website, and creating questions to be asked, the students were eager for Lester to arrive. Classroom teachers reinforced the lessons of his books, Reading Teachers Janice Corrado and Lynn Orozco designed hallway decorations, and Mrs. Orozco led four students in a special Reader's Theater presentation.   After school, Lester remained for a special one-hour session for teachers where he talked about using quality literature (mostly in the form of picture books) to teach kindness, which of course, correlates with Harrison's theme.   Thank you to the PTA for generously sponsoring the author visit each year, and special thanks to the PTA dad who drove Lester to the airport in time to catch his plane home!  All-in-all, a truly red-letter day for Harrison School.  See for yourself: