As part of the Contemporary Issues in Literature class, Ward Melville High School students are able to delve into various literary works on deep and thought-provoking levels during the span of the half-year course. From best-sellers to newly released books, the course curriculum generally covers four to five books and following the study of each the students complete reflective projects, including writing and artistic pieces.
Perhaps more significant than the assignments completed in the class are the connections that the students regularly have with the books they are reading. Class teacher Terri Etheridge noted that over the seven-year run of the program, countless students have made personal connections to the pieces read; only recently, however, did that connection result in a memorable interaction with one of the authors.
Following their study of the widely famous “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” senior Emma Lemanski tweeted author Stephen Chbosky via the social networking site Twitter to thank him for his captivating story, and to her surprise was retweeted by Mr. Chbosky only moments later.
“I had never connected with a story like this before,” stated Emma, who went on to note that she never expected to hear from Mr. Chbosky but felt compelled to thank him for writing such a rich story. “One of the main characters really spoke to me on a personal level, so making the connection to the author was a really amazing experience.”
After the initial Twitter connection with Emma, Mr. Chbosky reached out to Ms. Etheridge directly to learn more about the class’ work with the book and to thank her for making it a part of the curriculum. When completed, Ms. Etheridge will be sending Mr. Chbosky copies of the class’ projects in an effort to further demonstrate the ways in which it has inspired them, and in hopes that future connections with him will be possible.
“Each year, the students really embrace this book,” said Ms. Etheridge. “It is the type of book that even my more reluctant readers are captivated by, so having the author take an interest in their work was truly exciting for the whole class.”