The Book Week Buzz
Anyone who has been on campus during Book Week will know what a special time it is for the entire GIS Community. With the culmination of the Big Read, dress-up day, author visits and much more, there is always a real buzz that permeates the campus.
An Inspiring Visit
Despite the lingering uncertainty that the beginning of 2020 brought, our students were thrilled with a visit from popular children’s author Ross Welford in March. Working with students in years 5-7, he engaged them in the magic of storytelling, ending an inspiring session with the challenge of a worldwide re-writing competition. Which budding storytellers from GIS would take this on?
An Achievement to be Proud of
Many did, and we were thrilled to find out that our very own Kimberleigh Chew (now in Year 7) was placed runner-up in Ross Welford’s global story writing contest, with her entry ‘A Sniff of Algebra.’
Inspired by her Teachers
Citing her Year 6 teachers as encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone, Kimberley says that she was thrilled when she found out that the ‘Time Travelling with a Hamster’ author was visiting, and even more excited when given the opportunity to enter a competition to rewrite a story that her class had begun in an interactive session with the author himself.
What Makes a Great Story?
Kimberleigh says that she was inspired to write by great authors such as Ross Welford and Rick Riordan, and that in her opinion, a great story has a simple storyline that is relatable, with twists and lots of obstacles added for the characters to overcome. ‘The key is to take your readers on an emotional rollercoaster!’
Success for Kimberleigh
This, she certainly did. She was thrilled to receive the news that her story was placed Runner Up, out of hundreds of entries from across the globe: ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the email; I ran to tell my parents straight away!’
‘My Love for Writing will not Waver’
Kimberleigh has big plans for the future, saying that she would like to become a Human Rights Lawyer. In the meantime, she believes her love for writing will continue.
Congratulations, Kimberleigh from the entire GIS Community. This certainly is an achievement to be proud of!
