Bookapalooza: A Collaborative Experience

During the spring 2010 semester, Pine Grove Middle School in the East Syracuse Minoa School District, in East Syracuse, New York, organized and hosted Bookapalooza 2010, a collaborative event. The goal of this initiative was to engage an entire community around a single book, Schooled by Gordan Korman, to create discussion among middle school students related to bullying, and to empower students to be ethical citizens in and out of the classroom.

Schooled
Cap, a student whose caregiver falls ill, is transferred from a homeschooled environment on a hippie commune to a public middle school where, due to his differences, he is frequently mistreated. The story addresses bullying, peer pressure, self-confidence, and friendship in a middle school setting.

Organizing the Event
Bookapalooza 2010, coordinated by Sue Kowalski, librarian, was led by a team of students and staff including Taylor Hunt, 8th grade ELA teacher, Jackie Scholl, Physical Education teacher, Kelly Sajnog, principal, and a team of student leaders. Throughout the program the team was also supported by many other teaching and support staff members.

Activities
"Bookapalooza" spanned a five (5) weeks period and included a range of activities designed to make powerful connections to the book including:

• Yoga classes (Cap used Yoga to relax)
• tie-dying shirts (Cap's uniform)
• taking photographs reflecting peace in our communities.
• hosting a school-wide peace rally
• multiple discussions about the theme of the book, some of which took place via videoconferencing.

Our Three Videoconferences
Throughout these sessions, students used the book and life experiences to prepare their thoughts and feedback on mutually agreed topics related to bullying and peer pressure.

Session #1
Our first session included volunteers from our school who made up an afterschool group and a class from Manitoba, Canada. Our time together was incredibly successful as the Manitoba class was well prepared to discuss the topics at hand. Conversation was organized, yet not stifled. Students on both sides were honest, patient, and sincere in their sharing of very personal views on bullying and peer pressure. Even though several of our students were brought to tears as they shared their troubling experiences, the Manitoba teacher's facilitation helped the session moved seamlessly through the very healthy discussion.

Session #2
This session, with an ELA class in a Texas school, proved to be difficult as the students were very unsure about sharing and conversation was rather stilted. An age gap in our classes, our 8th grade class and the Texas 6th grade class, proved to cause more of an issue than anticipated. In addition, the quality of the sound was not ideal, making hearing difficult. Though there were many teachable moments about the varying school populations and concerns, this session was not as lively as our first.

Session #3
The third session, also with a school in Texas, was an entirely different experience. The students' ages were similar, thus helping them to relate more easily. The Texas group, a very large and lively class, had many students who were willing to share their views. We again experienced audio difficulties and there appeared to be many side conversations, all of which hampered the back and forth between the schools.

The Impact on Students
Students were highly motivated before, during, and after the videoconferences and were thoroughly engaged. It was a pleasure to see them so excited about discussing such a timely topic (bullying) with such passion. Some students were more comfortable than others being in the spotlight, but even the more reluctant ones learned from the discussions.

Impact on Teachers
Teachers found it challenging to manage discussions that were more one-sided and less engaging, but with quality preparation and follow-up, even those conversations were productive. We used all the sessions as to continue our conversations about bullying and peer pressure and the theme of the book. One of the discussions even provided a great springboard into follow-up support with our guidance department.

Lessons Learned
Pre-Event:

• Technical testing reduces the level of stress if done BEFORE the event!
• Preparing the students on the topic-at-hand and allowing them to have talking points (not a script) is key.
• Conversations between the planners from both classes are very important to ensure that all aspects of the event are discussed.
• Determining a host for the event is ideal. When conversations become stifled, someone is prepared to take the lead.

• A shared agenda helps both classes be on the same page.
• Reviewing the expectations of all audience members is critical.
• Having a "hot seat" that enables students to focus on a speaker is critical for both the speaker and the audience. Using the scanning of the camera to 'find' a student makes it harder to focus.
• Yelling out responses disempowers the speaking of individuals.
• Flexibility is key. One of our sessions was cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control.

After the Event
After the conference, the teachers involved used the opportunity to talk about first impressions, public speaking skills, and the importance of two-way conversations. Certainly, for all three videoconferences, lessons were learned!

Next Steps:
At this point, we have held our culminating event of Bookapalooza 2010. We concluded with a school wide assembly (Peace Rally) which included much information based on feedback/ideas from our many discussions, including those done virtually. We value and will continue to pursue opportunities for meaningful discussions.

Contact Information
Sue Kowalski
315-434-3050