Spartan Sentinel Harrington Park School Newspaper Winter Edition 2023/2024 SCHOOL-WIDE One School, One Story By Chaerin Isabella Oh Dr. Seuss once said, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” In order to learn more about the grave consequences that result from antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hate, the Harrington Park School District decided to read bestselling author Gordon Korman’s novel Linked. The entirety of the staff has put their greatest effort into turning the experience of reading this book into an educational yet memorable experience that would teach the future generations of Harrington Park the importance of acceptance and tolerance. The students, as well, have been constantly reading the book at home and school with peers and parents. Many students are listening to their favorite teachers narrate Linked through a video by the Harrington Park staff members themselves. Many teachers also find themselves suddenly hooked by the suspenseful book. With such a brilliant new program, there are many things to reflect on. The students and staff gave a classic Harrington Park welcome to the bestselling author, Gordon Korman when he visited the school on January 9th. Mr. Korman discussed his experiences as an author, the inspirations of his pieces, and a lot about his new 103rd book (Slugfest), and Linked itself. He explained that his biggest inspiration for the book was the “Paper Clips Project,” which was created in the small southeastern Tennessee town of Whitwell. The simple yet unrealistic middle school project’s goal was to gather a total of six million paper clips for the memorial of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust through the years of 1939 and 1945. Similarly, Link, one of the protagonists of Linked, aids his school in creating six million paper chains after discovering his previously unknown Jewish roots and hateful swastikas at his school, Chokecherry Middle School. After the special author visit, students and teachers in 5th through 8th grade began and now continue to vigorously read the book. They are extremely invested in Link and his classmates, including Dana, the only Jewish girl at Chokecherry, Michael, a prime suspect of the cruel vandalism, and a strange blogger named ReelTok who seems to be aggravating Mr. Brademas, the principal. This fascinating novel builds up suspense, detailed character development, and one’s emotions while reading. It’s hard not to sit on the edge of your seat while reading this book! It is apparent that the One School, One Story program has had quite a positive impact on the Harrington Park School community. See following pages for link t

Spartan Sentinel Winter Edition

Harrington Park School

March 12, 2024

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