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Twenty years ago, I worked a summer job in Hancock, NY. One weekend some friends made the drive down from Albany to visit. They raved about an amazing ice cream stand they had discovered en route, one with a magic machine that could make a custom-flavored cone from any ingredient you tossed into it. For years afterward, whenever my wife and I found ourselves in the Binghamton area, we’d make a detour down Rte 8 to visit The Penguin.

I hadn’t been back in twelve years. So imagine my surprise when my GPS just happened to route me past the best ice cream stand on the planet. I didn’t even recognize it at first, and I nearly drove my car off the road when I finally did.

I’m happy to report that The Penguin (now called “The Country Cream”) is still going strong out there on Route 8 near Masonville. The incredible machine is called a “Chus-A-Treat” (click the picture) and it works like this: First, the owners cut up a lot of hard ice cream into slabs. Then, one of these slabs goes into the top of the machine, a few spoonfuls of ingredients go into a chute in the front, a lever is pulled, and out comes a cone’s worth of pure ice cream gold. I had a chocolate with scoops of real peanut butter and slices of banana, then a vanilla with Grape Nuts and fresh pineapple for desert. There are only four known Chus-A-Treat machines still in existence in the world. Believe me, it’s worth a trip.

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, my visit to Deposit Elementary. What a great school. You’d be amazed at the things I found there, like a display case full of pirate ships…

Pigs, pigs galore…

And at the end of one hallway, an wall-sized house of bugs called “McElligott Manor”.

But most surprising was a thick binder I was handed near the end of the day. It contained job applications from every one of the fifth graders applying to work on Backbeard’s crew. Each student had a page with their photo (in costume, of course) and another with a complete resume, done in the style of the one on the back of Backbeard: Pirate for Hire. (Eg. Special Skills: Cleaning gator teeth, Cooking cold cereal, Trimming toenails with a cutlass…)

I’d hire each and every one of them. Thanks, Mrs. Hochuli, and thanks to everyone at Deposit for making my last visit of the school year such a special one!

The schedule for my visit to Middleburgh Elementary this week called for a full day, with both day and evening presentations. In between, it had been suggested I might want to try climbing something called Vroman’s Nose. Years ago, I went to school with a kid named Vroman, and I was very curious to see if this was the same nose. Unfortunately, Monday’s sweltering heat put the kibosh on any outdoor activity, so I’ll never know for sure.

Worked out fine, though. I was happy to stay indoors, and the folks at Middleburgh sure did make me feel welcome. This was how the librarian, Mrs. Friedland and Mrs. Rumph greeted me when I first arrived. (Note the pig on the shoulder.)

A large table in the library was covered with this giant pirate map, made entirely of recycled materials by Mr. Miller’s 3rd grade class.

In the Physical Therapy room, Mrs. Coonradt used Backbeard’s pirate map as the inspiration for a pirate-themed activity course.

The reward at the end? Not gold, exactly, but goldfish. Close enough.
There were many more fantastic projects, far too many to list here. One of my favorites used the endpapers from Pirate for Hire to explore the idea of stereotypes. Kids made a list of qualifications for a job (say, “secret agent”) and listed the obvious ones. Then, they went back and amended the list, correcting the stereotypes. Very cool.

The only snag of the day came during the first session when Mr. Burton and Mr. Primeau, clearly shell-shocked from spending a year teaching fifth graders, arrived dressed not as pirates, but as pyrite. Enjoy your summer vacation, gentlemen. You’ve clearly earned it.

It’s been years since I was last at the Albany School of Humanities, and I had forgotten what a beautiful library it is. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say it’s the most impressive school library I’ve ever seen. (Don’t believe me? Click the picture above for a better view) It sits front and center at the entrance to the school, and makes quite an impression on visitors.

Great kids at A.S.H., and I really enjoyed their projects.

One that really caught my eye was a series of inkblot projects. Students created them, then gave them to other students to write about. I really like the idea of collaborating that way.

Thanks to Mrs. Mickel and everyone at A.S.H. for such a fun visit!

Recently, I had the chance to spend an entire week doing a residency at Geyser Rd. Elementary in Saratoga, NY. The theme of the residency was writing and illustrating with technology, and I spent the majority of the time working with the fifth grade classes. (I did, however, get the chance to meet all the other students in the school at least once.)

For tools, we worked with Google Sketchup, ArtRage, and Microsoft Publisher and I was amazed - astounded! - at how quickly these kids picked everything up. (Sketchup is a tool I’ve been using a lot in my own work.) After a brief intro the first morning, they were off and running..

By the final day, I was happy to learn that many of them had already downloaded the free software on their computers at home and were making even cooler stuff.

A residency like this doesn’t happen without the help of a lot of people, and I’d especially like to thank Jim Nair and Lorraine Montgomery for getting the labs ready, Mr. Reilly, Mr. Pollicino, Ms. Demick and especially Mrs. Leal for all her hard work pulling everything together.

My visit to Hodgkins Elementary (outside Chicago) was short, but sweet. I flew in late Tuesday, flew out late Wednesday. But in between we got a lot done.

It takes a lot of work to bring in an author for an author visit, and I have a great deal of gratitude and respect for the schools that make it happen. There are so many details to attend to, and so many people who help out along the way in various ways.

Here’s one I had never run into before: to help fund this visit, Hodgkins Elementary received some financial support from the local police department. That in itself isn’t so unusual, but the way the Hodgkins police department raises money is. They hold an event called “Cop on Top” in which – and I’m not making this up – police officers take turns standing on the roof of the local Dunkin’ Donuts. The idea that someone took a shift atop the donut shop to help fund my trip to the school fills me with a whole new level of respect for law enforcement. Much appreciated.

Hodgkins is clearly a school that reads, and evidence was all over the place. Posters, dioramas, and a population of kids who were engaged and focused made the day fly by in a blink. Thanks Jacquie Crowley for getting the ball rolling, Leesa McHugh for organizing lunch, and especially to Joan Milsap who did pretty much everything else. You rock, Joan!

Some Hodgkins artwork…

I must have driven past Eagle Point Elementary hundreds of times in my life, and I don’t think I’ve ever noticed it was there. Too bad, because it’s quite a school. Check out this Backbeard-inspired artwork:

It’s an old building, but a few years ago they renovated it and turned the old gym into a library. It’s a really beautiful space, tall and full of light. It was a pleasure presenting there.

One of my favorite parts of the visit was when one class presented me with a set of drawings they had done, trying to guess what I was going to look like. Here’s me with my alter ego, Backbeard:

Me as hairy-face no-legs rainbow flying-man:

And even a picture of my wife!

It was one of those days that just flew by, and the evening talk with the parents was the icing on the cake. Thanks to everyone at Eagle Point – Mrs. Fusco, Mrs. Wiley, Mrs. Cronin, and Ms. Salvaggio – and all the kids and parents for making it such a special day.