Jennifer Anne Kogler

On Wednesday, I made my last visit of the calendar year and, let me tell you, it was a perfect school for a perfect ending.  I had visited Kraemer Middle School in Placentia several years ago and was excited to catch up with remarkable 8th grade language arts teacher Shane Twamley and wonderful librarian Vicky Kamen.  I hung out in the library for a of couple hours and the kids were as droll and endearing as they were the last time.  For instance, as you see below, they dressed up the library’s cardboard cutouts of Edward and Jacob in Death Catchers t-shirts.  You can’t see it in the picture, but Jacob even has a Death Catchers symbol pasted on his arm.

What really made my day, though, was seeing English teacher Shane Twamley again.  Not only is he an incredible teacher and host, but he helped inspire The Death Catchers!  It was when I was visiting his classroom several years ago and saw all the literary devices he had circling the walls of his room (complete with their own clever symbols) that I decided to use them as a way to tell the story itself.   Here we are in front of the literary device wall — Shane is holding up the lips that represent alliteration and I’m holding up a symbol representing third person point of view.

So here’s to an amazing end to an amazing fall. Thanks Shane and Vicky!