To the Editor,
On behalf of the elementary students and teachers at Essex Elementary School and Manchester Memorial School, I want to thank you for the Hooper Fund’s generous grant to support our goal of bringing diverse authors to our elementary schools.
We are thrilled to bring Hena Khan, an award-winning Muslim-American children’s author to EES and MMES this fall! All students in grades K-5 at each elementary school will attend grade-level presentations with Miss Khan. Our upper grade students will receive a signed copy of Hena Khan’s brand-new graphic novel coming out in August, 2024 and a few students will have the opportunity to chat with the author over lunch in each school.
Without the support of the Hooper Fund, I don’t believe we would be able to provide all of our K-5 students with such a unique and culturally enriching author visit. We are excited and so grateful to have The Hooper Fund underwriting a program that is aligned with MERSD’s commitment to nurturing an environment of “empathetic global citizens” and striving to embrace a “just and equitable environment that respects individual differences and the diversity of community, country, and world.”
Thanks so much for so generously supporting the elementary students of Essex and Manchester!
Best,
Samantha Silag, MA, MLIS
Elementary School Library Teacher
Manchester Memorial and Essex Elementary Schools
