Freedom Crest students enjoy first year of custom book
By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer Adjusting to new environments with different rules and guidelines is never an easy task. That's especial...
http://www.menifee247.com/2019/10/freedom-crest-students-enjoy-first-year-of-custom-book.html
By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer
Adjusting to new environments with different rules and guidelines is never an easy task. That's especially true when you’re 5 years old and those rules come in the form of brand new schools, peers, and teachers in the form of a kindergarten class.
To ease students into this adjustment, Michele Duvauchelle, kindergarten teacher at Freedom Crest Elementary School, decided a great way to teach students Freedom Crest’s expectations would be in the form of a book.
The new book, titled “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School”, stars Freedom Crest’s beloved feathered mascot, Freddie, as he learns his way around what it means to be a Freedom Crest student.
Pictured: Michele Duvauchelle reading "Freddie the Falcon Goes to School" to classes
“Up until last year, kindergarten always used a “Morty the Monkey” story to teach behavior and rules,” says Duvauchelle. “I wanted to create a new story similar to that, but with Freddie the Falcon. A story that would be engaging for the students and that would teach them our classroom expectations.”
Rather than using Freddie as the exemplary student, Duvauchelle uses the familiar bird to illustrate the confusion and mistepping of a student who isn’t well versed in appropriate behavior.
Rather than using a teacher or adult to reprimand Freddie’s behavior, Duvauchelle uses fellow students to correct and teach their mascot not only what is expected of him, but why.
Using the outline of Freedom Crest’s own expectations standard, S.O. A. R., both Freddie and students explore what Safety, Organization, Accountability, and Respectfulness looks like. From messy desks to pushing and shoving, students in the book point out wrong behavior and reinforce positive ways to handle situations and emotions.
“The students may not be able to tell you a definition of what accountability and respect are,” says Duvauchelle, “but they can tell you what it looks like. They can tell you which actions are and aren’t those things. And now they are using those words in their daily conversations and their ears perk up each time they hear someone else using them.”
And while the story and language of “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” carries the weight of the story’s moral, the illustrations of the book keep the students engaged.
Hand drawn by 18-year-old Megan Freeman, daughter of Freedom Crest kindergarten teacher Karen Freeman, the illustrations bring to life the characters and lessons for students to relate to.
“I wanted to draw Freddie the Falcon as a bird that hasn’t been made yet, or that the students have already seen,” said Freeman. “Falcons have been drawn so often and I wanted Freddie to be someone they recognized and knew as their own.”
“Freddie the Falcon” isn’t the first book Freeman has brought to life for Menifee schools. Commissioned by district Superintendent Dr. Steve Kennedy, Freeman previously illustrated the now printed and bound book, “The Importance of Kindness.” It's another story that explores the necessity of students treating one another kindly.
“My face lights up knowing that my drawings are now a part of their growing and learning,” says Freeman. “That when they think about what’s right and what’s wrong, it can be my images that pop into their minds.”
Sitting in on both Duvauchelle and Freeman’s kindergarten classes as Duvauchelle read “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” to the students, it was clear that the students were not only engaged in their personalized school book, but they were familiarized and memorizing verbatim the lessons being taught. They are able to finish reading the page before Duvauchelle gets the chance.
When asked what Freddie the Falcon’s story has taught students, one proudly raised his hand and said, “Freddie taught me that I need to listen to others and that my friends should listen to me too. Because we will feel sad and mad if we don’t listen to each other.”
Another student’s hand shot up to follow up with, “Freddie taught us to be kind and to ask others to be kind to us. And also if we don’t S.O.A.R., we won’t get a Falcon Feather at the end of the day.”
Falcon Feathers are small tickets given to students on a daily basis for positive behavior that reflects Freedom Crest’s S.O.A.R. standard. After earning and collecting so many, students are given the prize of visiting their classroom “treasure chests” to pick out a small token of reward for their comprehension of treating others and their environment with esteem.
“Every Friday I visit the classrooms,” says Principal Eli Orr, “and a lot of times when we are reviewing the students in kindergarten classes, they often don’t know what we expect of them. But since the book was given to teachers, they clearly do.”
Each kindergarten teacher on campus has made reading “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” periodically a part of their carpet time routine. With the success it has seen among the kindergarten students, the book will soon be distributed to both first and second grade teachers, allowing all classes of the school’s youngest students to learn S.O.A.R expectations along with Freddie.
“The great thing about this is that these small students are now using these words like accountability and respect on the playground with one another,” says Duvauchelle. “They let each other know how others should be treated and how they should be treated themselves at such a young age.”
Pictured: Ms. Freeman's student looking over "Freddie the Falcon Goes to School"
The book has allowed students to not only comprehend good behavior, but also gives students the chance to meet in person both an author and an illustrator.
After one student excitedly raised her hand to tell the class she was an illustrator too, Duvauchelle explained that “the students are at an age where they are starting to write words and form stories. So it was exciting to see them make the connection between what we did to what they are learning to do as well.”
Just in its first year, “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” will soon be printed and bound to become Freedom Crest’s official customized book for students to continue sharing throughout the years.
“We will definitely be using this book in future classes,” says Orr. “I think it would even be great to become an online version so that parents can have a copy of it and reiterate those same expectations at home. We are proud of this and are excited at all the positive outcomes we have already seen.”
Adjusting to new environments with different rules and guidelines is never an easy task. That's especially true when you’re 5 years old and those rules come in the form of brand new schools, peers, and teachers in the form of a kindergarten class.
To ease students into this adjustment, Michele Duvauchelle, kindergarten teacher at Freedom Crest Elementary School, decided a great way to teach students Freedom Crest’s expectations would be in the form of a book.
The new book, titled “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School”, stars Freedom Crest’s beloved feathered mascot, Freddie, as he learns his way around what it means to be a Freedom Crest student.
“Up until last year, kindergarten always used a “Morty the Monkey” story to teach behavior and rules,” says Duvauchelle. “I wanted to create a new story similar to that, but with Freddie the Falcon. A story that would be engaging for the students and that would teach them our classroom expectations.”
Rather than using Freddie as the exemplary student, Duvauchelle uses the familiar bird to illustrate the confusion and mistepping of a student who isn’t well versed in appropriate behavior.
Rather than using a teacher or adult to reprimand Freddie’s behavior, Duvauchelle uses fellow students to correct and teach their mascot not only what is expected of him, but why.
Using the outline of Freedom Crest’s own expectations standard, S.O. A. R., both Freddie and students explore what Safety, Organization, Accountability, and Respectfulness looks like. From messy desks to pushing and shoving, students in the book point out wrong behavior and reinforce positive ways to handle situations and emotions.
“The students may not be able to tell you a definition of what accountability and respect are,” says Duvauchelle, “but they can tell you what it looks like. They can tell you which actions are and aren’t those things. And now they are using those words in their daily conversations and their ears perk up each time they hear someone else using them.”
And while the story and language of “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” carries the weight of the story’s moral, the illustrations of the book keep the students engaged.
Hand drawn by 18-year-old Megan Freeman, daughter of Freedom Crest kindergarten teacher Karen Freeman, the illustrations bring to life the characters and lessons for students to relate to.
“I wanted to draw Freddie the Falcon as a bird that hasn’t been made yet, or that the students have already seen,” said Freeman. “Falcons have been drawn so often and I wanted Freddie to be someone they recognized and knew as their own.”
“Freddie the Falcon” isn’t the first book Freeman has brought to life for Menifee schools. Commissioned by district Superintendent Dr. Steve Kennedy, Freeman previously illustrated the now printed and bound book, “The Importance of Kindness.” It's another story that explores the necessity of students treating one another kindly.
“My face lights up knowing that my drawings are now a part of their growing and learning,” says Freeman. “That when they think about what’s right and what’s wrong, it can be my images that pop into their minds.”
Pictured: Front cover illustrations by Megan Freeman
Sitting in on both Duvauchelle and Freeman’s kindergarten classes as Duvauchelle read “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” to the students, it was clear that the students were not only engaged in their personalized school book, but they were familiarized and memorizing verbatim the lessons being taught. They are able to finish reading the page before Duvauchelle gets the chance.
When asked what Freddie the Falcon’s story has taught students, one proudly raised his hand and said, “Freddie taught me that I need to listen to others and that my friends should listen to me too. Because we will feel sad and mad if we don’t listen to each other.”
Another student’s hand shot up to follow up with, “Freddie taught us to be kind and to ask others to be kind to us. And also if we don’t S.O.A.R., we won’t get a Falcon Feather at the end of the day.”
Falcon Feathers are small tickets given to students on a daily basis for positive behavior that reflects Freedom Crest’s S.O.A.R. standard. After earning and collecting so many, students are given the prize of visiting their classroom “treasure chests” to pick out a small token of reward for their comprehension of treating others and their environment with esteem.
“Every Friday I visit the classrooms,” says Principal Eli Orr, “and a lot of times when we are reviewing the students in kindergarten classes, they often don’t know what we expect of them. But since the book was given to teachers, they clearly do.”
Each kindergarten teacher on campus has made reading “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” periodically a part of their carpet time routine. With the success it has seen among the kindergarten students, the book will soon be distributed to both first and second grade teachers, allowing all classes of the school’s youngest students to learn S.O.A.R expectations along with Freddie.
“The great thing about this is that these small students are now using these words like accountability and respect on the playground with one another,” says Duvauchelle. “They let each other know how others should be treated and how they should be treated themselves at such a young age.”
The book has allowed students to not only comprehend good behavior, but also gives students the chance to meet in person both an author and an illustrator.
After one student excitedly raised her hand to tell the class she was an illustrator too, Duvauchelle explained that “the students are at an age where they are starting to write words and form stories. So it was exciting to see them make the connection between what we did to what they are learning to do as well.”
Just in its first year, “Freddie the Falcon Goes to School” will soon be printed and bound to become Freedom Crest’s official customized book for students to continue sharing throughout the years.
“We will definitely be using this book in future classes,” says Orr. “I think it would even be great to become an online version so that parents can have a copy of it and reiterate those same expectations at home. We are proud of this and are excited at all the positive outcomes we have already seen.”
