Brunswick Acres' Gym Alive With Learning and Laughter

The gym at Brunswick Acres Elementary School in Kendall Park is always a hubbub of activity, but the last two Thursdays the place was particularly abuzz with giggling grade-schoolers using their attentive listening ears. 

Herman Parish, the author of the timeless Amelia Bedelia book series, gave a PowerPoint presentation and signed books afterward in the school library.  He was nearly upstaged, however, by Amelia Bedelia herself, a.k.a., first-grade teacher, Ms. Alyssa Gentile.  Together, Parish and Gentile used humor to highlight how figurative language taken literally can cause a conundrum in writing and in life.  The beloved housekeeper "dressed" a chicken in a tuxedo, "dusted" by placing make-up powder on people and furniture, and "drew" the drapes, for goodness sakes!

Mr. Parish, a Princeton resident, took over writing the popular book series in 1995 after the original author, his beloved aunt (and third-grade teacher), Peggy, passed away years earlier.  A former TV commercial writer, Mr. Parish compared his previous profession with his current one.  "They are somewhat similar in that you build on the equity you have already established- one, with investment in a product or campaign, the second with a well-known character and her unique exploits.  I'd have to say this one is a little more enjoyable, though," Mr. Parish added.

Mr. Parish encouraged the students to read about what they like, and to keep reading! His presentation commemorated the 50th birthday of the quirky character and was arranged by Mrs. Amy Dixon, School Librarian, with assistance from the PTO.  "We were thrilled to welcome Mr. Parish, be entertained with his wacky wordplay and hear insights into his writing process. Feedback has been extremely positive," Ms. Dixon said with gratitude. 

The week prior, Mr. Cris Johnson used magic as his primary medium in "Yes, I Can!," his lively, interactive presentation.   Mr. Johnson, a frequent presenter at South Brunswick school functions, was introduced by Student Assistance Counselor and Anti-Bullying Specialist, Ms. Jackie Turner.  His entertaining show complemented the school's CARES initiative.  Students from the audience were used during several "really cool" magic tricks to demonstrate important messages about self-esteem.  

Each trick and humorous anecdote was met with thunderous applause and followed by a key message about respect, fear, choices, procrastination, uniqueness, goals, perseverance, bullying, and much more. "We all have one very important thing in common- potential," Mr. Johnson said meaningfully after solving a Rubik's Cube to the grade-schoolers' oohs and ahhs.  He related many points to test-taking, a very real-life example the students easily identified with.

A stuffed raccoon and a real-live rat helped recap the important lesson.  Mr. Johnson also provided Teacher Support Materials to encourage continued classroom conversation after the program ended. Shree Patel, PTO Co-President said, "Cris is very popular with the students and faculty. We are happy to be able to provide this program and thankful for the support of the BAS community."

For more information, visit www.ba-library.weebly.com and www.ElementarySchoolAssemblies.com .