Five students from Northern Parkway Elementary School in Uniondale have become full-fledged published authors, thanks to Stephanie Bailey, the school’s PTA president and a published author herself who created a writing initiative that helped the students achieve that goal.
Nassau County Legislator Olena Nicks recently singled out Bailey with a certificate of recognition for that special accomplishment by the co-authors, students Mellodi Rutty, Kaylee Brown, Malia Belot, Khari Alam and Aarianna Fraser.
“Allowing them to control the narrative and to ensure that we focus on the child as a whole,” Nicks, who represents Uniondale, said on June 1 before presenting Bailey with a certificate of honor. “We made sure to choose a base that allowed them to self-reflect and put their feelings on paper.”
The students co-authored “Look What NPS Can Do!: Volume I,” a 54-page collection of stories and illustrations that is available on Amazon for $25. Proceeds will go directly to Northern Parkway’s PTA to support additional student programs.
The book includes photographs of the five students, a page dedicated to their writing and personalized blurbs written by Bailey highlighting their accomplishments and personalities.
The book features the students’ reflections on fears, such as drowning, heights and insects, as well as personal challenges, friendships and lessons they have learned about themselves.
During an after-school session last month, Bailey provided several themes, and students selected the topics that resonated most with them.
“I told them they could do what they wanted to do. They drew all their photos,” Bailey said. “I just created the borders to make everything even. They co-created autonomy, everything was all on them.”
Mellodi did not focus on a specific fear, but she wrote about helping and caring for her friends.
Kaylee, 8, wrote about her fear of cockroaches. In the book, she wrote “I stay as far away as possible.” Her family is from Jamacia and those are the type of cockroaches she knows very well.
“I’m afraid of cockroaches and when they fly, I run away upstairs to hide,” Kaylee said. “I learned that I could face my fear and put it in a book.”
Kaylee’s mother, Althea Bennett, encouraged and supported her during the process that took less than two hours to complete. She explained that her daughter has a lot of potential and has plans to become president of the United States when she grows up, to stop crime and help people in the world.
“Since then, I have further encouraged her to read,” Bennett said. “I helped her in the writing process to become a better writer; reader and I told her whatever she’s got in mind, we’ll see what she can do.”
Malia, who is Bailey’s daughter, wrote about overcoming her fear of monkey bars at the playground. In the book, she explained that she was once scared but eventually knew she needed to overcome it.
Malia now pulls herself up on the monkey bars and lays on top of that piece of playground equipment.
Khari wrote about her fear of high-water levels, which, she added, is “also known as thalassophobia.”
Aarianna, 9, expressed her fear of swimming, but did not write about the fear hypothetically. She nearly drowned during swimming lessons at Uniondale High School two years ago, her father, Troy Fraser, said.
“It was a very scary experience for me,” Aarianna said. “This writing process was very fun, and I learned how to publish my own book, and if I want to publish my own book when I grow up, I can.”
She said she doesn’t completely stay away from water, but she stays close to the wall in a pool, whenever she is on vacation. She explained that by writing her fear down on paper and publishing it, it has helped her overcome her fear. She credited her father with helping her accomplish this.
“I learned that as long as you try, even though I knew that before, but I learned that even more now,” Aarianna said enthusiastically. “I’m fully confident, but I got more when I’m engaged in writing because I didn’t really like writing, because I have a lot to say and when I write long, my hand hurts.”
The book project began as a support system for students who are transitioning from elementary to middle school, giving them opportunities to fall in love with writing and storytelling.
Bailey, a published author whose own children’s book, “The Twelve Cemi’no,” focuses on an introduction to the spirituality of the indigenous Caribbean people.
She added that the idea for the students to co-author a book grew from conversations about investing in children holistically and helping elementary students develop confidence before transitioning to higher grade levels.
“We’re working on a curriculum initiative with the district, about how we can invest in children holistically,” Bailey said. “Everybody kept talking about higher grades, in the elementary school. How do we get them to start self-reflecting? And I proposed the writing initiative.”
Bailey expressed hope that a Volume II will be in the offing; however, no publication dates have yet been scheduled.
