The Valley Catholic February 20, 2018 | Page 19

Young Authors at Saint Victor School

tvc . dsj . org | February 20 , 2018 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 19 Bellarmine Hosts San Jose Police Chief at Justice Summit

Eddie Garcia , chief of police for the City of San Jose , spoke to students , faculty , and staff of Bellarmine College Preparatory as part of the school ’ s yearlong Summit on Human Dignity and its focus on “ Understanding Race in the 21 st Century .”
During the January 18 address , which was followed by a question and answer period , Chief Garcia shared some of the challenges police officers face and how they are seeking to bridge divides and overcome fears in the community .
“ This uniform is not an automatic ‘ trust me ’ costume ,” Chief Garcia told the audience . “ That right must be earned .” He went on to say , “ To my very core , it ’ s the responsibility of every man
and woman who wears this uniform to work tirelessly , so that everyone has the ability to live out their dreams , regardless of who you are , what you look like , or where you live . But this diligence must be undertaken responsibly , and it must be fair to our entire community , and it must be done constitutionally , or trust is lost .”
Following the assembly , in his January monthly newsletter to parents , Chris Meyercord , Bellarmine president , noted , “ After naming an impressive list of initiatives undertaken by the SJPD , Chief Garcia said that as much as has been done , it ’ s not enough , and it ’ ll never be enough , because there is always room for further improvement ... an important reminder to us all that no
Eddie Garcia , chief of police for the City of San Jose , spoke to students , faculty , and staff of Bellarmine College Preparatory
matter how far we have come , there is always going to be yet more to do . This is reminiscent of the Latin word magis used so often in Jesuit education as we strive always to seek the greater good .”
Chief Garcia concluded his remarks with some advice to Bellarmine students . “ As future leaders … always strive for fairness .” He was among those scheduled to address Bellarmine ’ s 1,650 students regarding the theme of “ Understanding Race in the 21 st Century ” during the school year . In October 2017 , alumnus Viet Thanh Nguyen , Pulitzer Prize-winning author and USC professor , shared what it was like to be Asian at Bellarmine when he attended in the mid-to-late 1980s .
The justice theme , coordinated by faculty members Joe Cussen , Rod Theodule , and Carlos Jimenez , will culminate in the spring with a Justice Week Summit on Human Dignity . Previous justice themes at Bellarmine have included poverty , human trafficking , sustainability , immigration , and hunger .
A highlight during Catholic School ’ s Week at Saint Clare School was a visit by best-selling author Benjamin Ludwig . He spoke with the students about his current book , “ Ginny Moon ,” education , about foster care and adoption . Mr . Ludwig started his presentation by asking the students if anyone had any secrets . He emphasized that having secrets is one of the most important things for writing . “ It ’ s what people want to know . It ’ s what they want to read ,” said Mr . Ludwig . They want to read about what secrets help create the characters and lead them to what they do in the story .
Mr . Ludwig informed the students

Author Benjamin Ludwig Visits Saint Clare Middle School

of how his experiences of being a foster parent and later adopting an autistic girl influenced his writing . “ Ginny Moon ” is told from the perspective of a 14-year-old autistic girl . She was put into foster care at the age of 9 and has struggled to find a “ forever family .” Once she finds a family , the book reveals her endeavors and reasons for trying to get back to her birth mother . Mr . Ludwig stressed the only common thread between his daughter and his main character is the fact they are both autistic . “ Ginny Moon ” has been published in 18 countries and has been named one of Amazon ’ s 20 Best Books of 2017 .
Mr . Ludwig also shared that he started reading in the third grade to impress a girl . Instead , he ended up falling in love with reading which then led to writing . In the beginning , it was mostly about pirates and raccoons . However , it eventually evolved to different fictional characters . Mr . Ludwig concluded the presentation by answering many questions from the students , revealing his secret to combating writer ’ s block and letting the students know that the important thing in literature is the voice of the narrator .
Mr . Ludwig ’ s visit was sponsored by Hicklebee ’ s Children ’ s Books in Willow Glen . Saint Clare Elementary School and Hicklebee ’ s continue to collaborate in improving reading , writing , and illustrating skills in the elementary school level .
Young Authors at Saint Victor School
Saint Victor School ’ s 5th Annual Young Authors Fair was held during Open House kicking off Catholic Schools Week on January 28 . Each teacher chose a class set of work from a collection of drafts that showcased the best writing . Then students published their work , complete with illustrations and bound cover . Three young authors selected as Teacher ’ s Picks from each class were invited to read aloud their books in small intimate groups by grade level . Families sat around the circle of readers and enjoyed books ranging from narrative poetry to personal narratives to fairy tales reinvented . Afterwards , families stayed to write words of praise for the young authors on comment cards .
The Teacher ’ s Picks will represent Saint Victor School at the Diocesan Young Authors Book Festival on March 17 . Over 200 Teacher ’ s Picks from ten diocesan schools will have the opportunity to present their work on that day at Saint Victor School . The Young Authors presentations , book talks and signings by acclaimed graphic novelist Nidhi Chanani and award-winning author Kathryn Otoshi , poetry and musical performances , and a variety of writing workshops will fill Saint Patrick ’ s Day at the book festival . All are invited to attend . For more information , please visit www . yabf . org .