Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year Governors' fans!

 

We have so much to be grateful for and look forward to in 2015!

 

Here's a peek at a few things that the Pesky librarians are grateful for:

 

 

Students!

More Students!

Tech Connectors!

Our fearless leader Mrs. Chase's healthy return and her adorable grandson, Henry (AND Jeff Ding)

Friendship and Fun!

 

Common Book 2014 Recap

On Monday we had the widely acclaimed author and our own teacher Andres Dubus speak at Convocation about the Common Book of 2014, Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.

Mr. Dubus cites the epic novel as the book that turned him into a reader. Hemingway's straight forward prose and the sentient quality of writing inspired the then 19-year old Dubus with a curiousity for literature. He quoted Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner in relation to the book and how Hemingway was a great pioneer for the modernist movement. The simplicity and evocative style of the writing is a quality that Dubus tries to incorporate into his own work. He spoke at length about the writing process in general and pointed out that he is still frightened every time he begins to write - which is every single morning!!! When asked if he believed Hemingway wrote under the influence of alcohol, Dubus pointed out that a writer's approach to their craft is akin to how a runner trains for a marathon. Although there exists this illusion that one might be more creative or free flowing under the influence, Dubus stressed that writing is a passion that requires consistent mental preparation and fortitude.

In terms of the writing process itself, he encouraged students to think more about "how" things happen, rather than "what" happens and then translate the feeling into words. Dubus' own style of writing reflects this evocative "show, don't tell" methodology. Students spent time employing this approach in a small creative writing workshop with Dubus after convocation.



In closing, Mr. Dubuis urged kids to follow their curiousity in life. Education, he said, is not preparation for a career or job training, it is an opportunity to discover the things that make you happy.