The editorial staff of Kids Around the University and teacher Katy Stonebloom. (Photo: r.r. jones)
We want kids to know what college is like, to know that
study and hard work are important, and to know that learning at college
is fun and exciting.
--from the introduction to Kids Around
the University
Chances are, the kids at Aromas School didn't know their book would change lives. But chances are that it will.
For two years, third and fourth graders at Aromas School in Monterey County researched and wrote a bilingual book about college life at UC Santa Cruz. Called Kids Around the University, the book quickly won the hearts of UCSC administrators, who published the book and are distributing it to fourth graders around the state this year.
For UCSC, the book represents a powerful outreach tool that will expose young schoolchildren to the academic and social value of attending college--and it gives kids hands-on information about how to prepare for college. Because the book is written in English and Spanish, it helps bridge a cultural gap, too.
"These kids really captured the essence of university life," said UCSC vice chancellor for student affairs Francisco Hernandez, who was profiled in the book. "They were able to distill the activities and value of a university, and they conveyed it in their own powerful words."
Indeed, the young authors' impressions of college life are refreshingly candid and on the mark--and their clear, simple prose appeals to children and adults alike:
In college you have to study hard. That means no goofing around.
Students sleep in the dormitories. . . . You can keep your room messy or neat.
Lots of people who work at universities and colleges are not professors. Their job is to keep students safe, healthy and learning.
To get into a university you have to take certain classes in high school.
If no one in your family went to a college or university before you, that does not mean that you should not go to one.
The book's content is based largely on dozens of interviews the youngsters conducted with students, faculty, and staff at UCSC and Cabrillo College in Aptos. The kids took on the project after being unable to find a book about colleges and universities that was appropriate for their grade level.
"This book fills an enormous void. Teachers and educational professionals say there's nothing like it," said UCSC associate vice chancellor for enrollment management and admissions director J. Michael Thompson, an ardent supporter of the project. "For some students, this book will light a candle they didn't know even existed. It reawakened the wonder in me about what the university is, and it caused me to step back and see the university through the eyes of a child."
For Aromas School teachers Katy Stonebloom and Linda McCue, who shepherded the project from conception through distribution, knowing that the colorful, 32-page book is receiving broad distribution is overwhelming. "The project has been successful beyond our wildest expectations," said Stonebloom, who graduated from UCSC in 1976. McCue also attended UCSC, graduating in 1984. Another alumna, Renée Flower, collaborated on the design of the book with UCSC publications manager Jim MacKenzie.
Many praise Stonebloom and McCue for making the book a reality, but the teachers give all the credit to their team of nearly 60 students who worked cooperatively--many of them on weekends and after school--to see the book through to publication. The students, whose reading levels ranged from first to tenth grade, benefited academically from the project, too, scoring higher on writing tests than their peers who were not involved with the school's bilingual publishing program.
Carrol Moran, coordinator of the UCSC-based Monterey Bay Educational Consortium, teamed up with Stonebloom and McCue to produce a curriculum guide designed to inspire teachers around the state to help their students explore their own local UC campus, private college, community college, or state university.
Moran, an early champion of the book project, said the publication will be an "incredible tool for thousands of children."
"This book has the very real potential to make a difference in their lives," she said. "That's why we felt so strongly about encouraging students to replicate the project in their own communities. Expanding the elementary school curriculum to include a unit on higher education will open a lot of doors for young people."
In an era of expanding partnerships between universities and K12 schools, this project enjoys widespread support.
"It has rekindled a spirit of hopefulness and discovery in all of us," said Thompson.
--Jennifer McNulty
The young writers show Chancellor Greenwood their creation.
(Photo:
Laura Liddy)
Interviewing Francisco Hernandez
(Photo: Kurt Ellison)