At the San Francisco City Academy, on Friday, January 30, 2015, I had the privilege of doing an author visit. These young authors and artists seemed curious to learn more when they heard that the main character Charlee lives in the Tenderloin too. I'll hold onto the precious reactions to the book: giggles to Charlee deciding to allow "stinky babies in outer space" and catching onto the theme "people aren't always as they seem." I will cherish the smiles, bright eyes, and sweet comments after the reading, "I love spaceships," "I really like that story," to "It was perfect."
Leading up to the visit, I was welcomed by Development Coordinator Rebecca Hsu, who gave me a walk-through of the school, a brief history, and described the school's exciting goal to enroll 350 students in the next few years! I peaked into each of the classrooms to find students busily working on assignments and hearing enthusiastic teachers engaging their students in lessons from the school's new curriculum. Daily, this school's mission and existence is "to intervene on behalf of the children in the inner city of San Francisco" and to "equip and empower children to break the cycles of poverty and despair through a quality education." I'm truly inspired by this gem of a school.
Pictures taken at SF City Academy's Library
Photo above: Development Coordinator Rebecca Hsu and Principal Joni Rummell
Photo Credits: Alex Shih