A few weeks ago a story was shared with me about a young lady named Kaitlyn Dorroh and I thought it was quite impressive and worthy of a little recognition. I share this with permission from her mother.
Kaitlyn is a rising senior at Langtree Charter and like most high schools students at Langtree are required to complete a Senior Project. The Mount Everest of academic assignments. Langtree calls theirs the Capstone Project. As with most senior projects, the Capstone Project is supposed to begin in the Freshman year, but due to Covid, that was delayed a bit.
As part of the project, students are tasked with identifying an issue that is affecting the world, researching the topic, and trying to identify a solution. Kaitlyn chose the topic of “Book Deserts.” If you’ve never heard the term, like me, for instance, a book desert is an area that has limited access to printed books. It can be as large as a country or as small as a community, even a school. Book deserts have been proven to have a significant impact on literacy and learning.
Kaitlyn took her Capstone project one step further. Not only did she identify a solution, but she also took it further and initiated the solution. She discovered that Parkview Elementary in Downtown Mooresville was actually considered a book desert. So, she met with school officials and was granted permission to work with third graders to write and illustrate their own book. In January, she began working with the students to write their own stories on the subjects of Native American and American Revolutionary War History as it relates to Mooresville. She was assisted by the Mooresville Library archives and the Mooresville Museum to ensure historical accuracy. They called the book “A to Zs of Mooresville, NC History – Celebrating 150 Years!”
Kaitlyn then took it one step further and, through a significant amount of fundraising, was able to raise over $9000, which allowed her to publish 500 books so that as many kids as possible could have one to take home and keep at no cost.
Every time I see a historical photo of my hometown or Mooresville, I look at the people and wonder what they would think if they knew people would be looking at the picture 100 years later. Kaitlyn’s book just became one of those “historical photos” that will likely be seen 100 years from now. What a cool thought.
I do not remember the topic of my senior project or if I even completed one given my academic track record. I lean towards the latter. Kaitlyn’s project however will literally be part of local history and that’s pretty cool if you ask me. She better get an A.
South Elementary in Mooresville is also considered a book desert.
If you have questions Kaitlyns mother can be reached at: katrina.dorroh@peninsulabaptist.com
Copies of Kaitlyns Book can be purchased through Headline Books using the link below. Proceeds go towards the purchase of additional books for these schools. https://headlinebooks.com/product/the-a-to-zs-of-mooresville-nc-history/
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A few weeks ago a story was shared with me about a young lady named Kaitlyn Dorroh and I thought it was quite impressive and worthy of a little recognition. I share this with permission from her mother.
Kaitlyn is a rising senior at Langtree Charter and like most high schools students at Langtree are required to complete a Senior Project. The Mount Everest of academic assignments. Langtree calls theirs the Capstone Project. As with most senior projects, the Capstone Project is supposed to begin in the Freshman year, but due to Covid, that was delayed a bit.
As part of the project, students are tasked with identifying an issue that is affecting the world, researching the topic, and trying to identify a solution. Kaitlyn chose the topic of “Book Deserts.” If you’ve never heard the term, like me, for instance, a book desert is an area that has limited access to printed books. It can be as large as a country or as small as a community, even a school. Book deserts have been proven to have a significant impact on literacy and learning.
Kaitlyn took her Capstone project one step further. Not only did she identify a solution, but she also took it further and initiated the solution. She discovered that Parkview Elementary in Downtown Mooresville was actually considered a book desert. So, she met with school officials and was granted permission to work with third graders to write and illustrate their own book. In January, she began working with the students to write their own stories on the subjects of Native American and American Revolutionary War History as it relates to Mooresville. She was assisted by the Mooresville Library archives and the Mooresville Museum to ensure historical accuracy. They called the book “A to Zs of Mooresville, NC History – Celebrating 150 Years!”
Kaitlyn then took it one step further and, through a significant amount of fundraising, was able to raise over $9000, which allowed her to publish 500 books so that as many kids as possible could have one to take home and keep at no cost.
Every time I see a historical photo of my hometown or Mooresville, I look at the people and wonder what they would think if they knew people would be looking at the picture 100 years later. Kaitlyn’s book just became one of those “historical photos” that will likely be seen 100 years from now. What a cool thought.
I do not remember the topic of my senior project or if I even completed one given my academic track record. I lean towards the latter. Kaitlyn’s project however will literally be part of local history and that’s pretty cool if you ask me. She better get an A.
South Elementary in Mooresville is also considered a book desert.
If you have questions Kaitlyns mother can be reached at: katrina.dorroh@peninsulabaptist.com
Copies of Kaitlyns Book can be purchased through Headline Books using the link below. Proceeds go towards the purchase of additional books for these schools. https://headlinebooks.com/product/the-a-to-zs-of-mooresville-nc-history/
