Several of Kathy Baumgras’ A.W. Becker Elementary 4th graders were invited to attend and read aloud their pieces entitled "My Freedom Dream" at an event hosted by the Albany Public Library in May.
They were each chosen among students from across the Capital District who submitted to have their work included in the summer edition of Skribblers Magazine.
Skribblers Magazine, the Capital District Writing Project, and the Albany Public Library presented a writing contest in honor of author H.D. Hunter.
Hunter is a storyteller, teaching artist, and community organizer from Atlanta, Georgia. He's the author of two self-published books as well as two forthcoming books, “Futureland” and “Something Like Right.” He's also the winner of several indie book awards for multicultural fiction.
Students K-12 were asked to submit a 500-word piece in any genre under the theme, “What is your freedom dream?” Writers were aided with additional questions depending on their age group. For example, high school students were challenged to think about how their talents and perspective would impact the world. Middle school students were asked to identify a specific challenge their generation faces of which adults should be more aware.
In Hunter’s “Futureland,” the main character is pitted against a sinister force determined to take over the world by stealing the futuristic technology discovered on an extraordinary flying theme park that mysteriously appears over his hometown of Atlanta.
Baumgras’ students were asked if they had one wish to make the world a better place, what would it be? One of her students said he wants to be like Martin Luther King Jr., to rid the world of wars by promoting peace by having fun. Another 9-year-old wished that bigger countries would leave smaller countries alone.
"I want for all people, no matter what they think is right or what they want, to treat others the right way," Paige wrote. She cited the actions of Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai, the latter having earned the Nobel Peace Prize at 17 after advocating for the education of women in her homeland of Pakistan.
The event included a meeting with the author, and each student received a signed copy of one of his books.