Dear Mr. Korman,
Greetings from Newport News Public Schools in Newport News, Virginia!
Each fall, our school division hosts One City Reads, a division wide (They call them divisions, not district here in Virginia for some reason!) The literacy initiative is designed to bring our students together through the shared experience of reading.
As part of the initiative, Newport News Public Schools provides every student in grades K–8 with their own copy of a selected book. Students read together across our schools while participating in activities, challenges, and conversations inspired by the story.
This year, we are incredibly excited to have selected "Old School" as our One City Reads title for students in grades 6–8!
We have purchased 5,940 copies of "Old School", meaning nearly 6,000 Newport News middle school students will soon be reading your story together!
I’m reaching out with a small request that we hope might make that experience even more memorable for them.
Victoria J. Coe, author of our K–5 selection, "Fenway and Hattie", graciously recorded a brief welcome video for our elementary students, approximately 60–90 seconds, thanking them for reading her book and sharing a little excitement about the story.
Would you be willing to record a similar short video for our middle school students?
Nothing elaborate or professionally produced is necessary. A simple recording welcoming our students to "Old School", perhaps sharing a brief thought about the book or something you hope they consider as they read, would be wonderful. We will feature the video as part of our One City Reads campaign and share it with our participating schools and students.
Having the author speak directly to them, even briefly adds a personal connection to the experience that we simply cannot replicate through traditional promotional materials.
We are tremendously excited to introduce nearly 6,000 young readers to "Old School", and we would be grateful if you would consider helping us kick off their experience.
Thank you for your consideration and, more importantly, thank you for creating stories that give young people a reason to keep turning the page.
Warm regards,
Moses H. Toliver Jr
Marketing Supervisor - Public Information & Community Involvement
Newport News Public Schools
(P) 757-591-4634 x10143
