CLC's Festival

May 1, 2023 2:17 PM

Festival.jpg

On April 28 and 29, the Children’s Literature Centre (CLC), under the direction of Dr. Sarah O’Neal, celebrated the 40th Annual Spring Festival of Children’s Literature. FSU welcomed nearly 200 current and former education professionals to hear from four award-winning authors and illustrators invited to present at this year’s festival. Carole Boston Weatherford, Peter Catalanotto, Matthew Cordell and Ann Braden participated in several outreach initiatives for students throughout Allegany County.

Cordell visited the LaVale Public Library where he spoke to children who are homeschooled and younger children ages birth to four years old. Catalanotto spent time with students from Flintstone Elementary School, this year’s CLC Adopt-A-School. Boston Weatherford was the presenter during the festival’s annual R. Margaret Hamilton Children’s Hour that gives children from schools in close proximity to FSU the opportunity to attend in-person to hear from one of our authors or illustrators. This year, fourth and fifth grade students from Beall Elementary School attended the children’s hour. Finally, Braden spent the week leading up to the festival visiting schools in Washington County and all of the middle schools in Allegany County.

At the Spring Festival, each of the four presenters shared their talents and creative processes and offered several autograph sessions for attendees throughout the festival. In addition to the presentations from each of the featured speakers, professional development workshops were held for educators to learn and enhance their knowledge on current and relevant topics in education. Some of these topics included family literacy, STEM engagement, student connection and relationships and dual language learning. The CLC looks forward to continuing to advocate for children’s literature to be a necessary and invaluable part of children’s lives and learning for another 40 years.