Dear Fellow Residents,
Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the 4th Grade assembly at Pleasant Valley School (PVS) as they gathered to hear from the author of the book the whole school read this year. A school wide reading has become a PVS tradition. This year students read The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart. It’s a story about a young girl, Coyote, and her dad, Rodeo, who have lived on the road crisscrossing the nation in an old school bus for the past five years. That’s how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.
Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished―the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box―she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days…without him realizing it. Along the way, they’ll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers: Lester, who has a lady love to meet, Salvador and his mom who are looking to start over, Val needs a safe place to be herself, and then there’s Gladys. Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all…but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”
That’s how the overview of the book reads, and I can tell you it is a wonderful novel. I had to read it to earn entry to the Author’s visit….and it was worth it! Dan Gemeinhart is a former teacher who did a great presentation for the kids. He met with all three grades separately for an hour and delivered a captivating message.
I was the guest of Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Zuccato’s 4th Grade class, and I was impressed how ALL the kids that attended the assembly clearly knew and loved the book! Watching their interaction with the author reminded me how lucky we are to have such a great public school system here in Harrison Township.
I know I speak for the community in thanking the K-12 team of educators in the Harrison & Clearview system. Good luck in these final weeks of another successful year.
Together for Harrison Township,
Lou Manzo
Your Mayor
