On August 27th, Melville Senior High School competed in the the Write a Book in a Day competition in the Learning Resource Centre. The competition sees groups of 5 to 10 students write and illustrate an entire (3,000-5,000 word) picture book for children in hospital within the age group of 10 through to 17 years old. The teams of students are given parameters to incorporate into their compositions, including certain character types, both human and non-human, as well as issues and settings. The competition is a highly anticipated event on the students calendar, and something the participating students look forward to weeks in advance.
By the end of the day, the students had well and truly crashed from sugar highs – as there were a lot of sweet and salty snacks required to get through the day. All teams proudly completed their books by the deadline of 5:30pm and it is worth reading the final books below.
This year was the first time the event has been opened up to Graphic Design Media Specialist Program students. A great curricular initiative as the Graphic Design Media students provide illustration support to the budding authors. This event also includes a fundraising component, and the school was able to raise approximately $2,000 for The Kids’ Cancer Project!
Gifted and Talented Teacher in Charge Mr Jamie Pearce said “I am super impressed by the fundraising efforts of the following students in particular, each of whom raised over $200 individually: Christabel Zin, Jetling Chong and Rhys DeSouza”.
English teacher Ms Emma Gregory, expertly mentored and guided all of the participating groups through to completion. The students described Ms Gregory’s calm and organised approach as an asset on the day amongst the students disorganisation.
Click on the links below to view the books: