When you plan a three-day trip with author Anna Crowley Redding to visit schools on Islesboro, Vinalhaven, and North Haven, be ready for adventure!

With her Emmy in tow—the one she earned during her previous career as an investigative TV reporter—we kicked off our tour at Islesboro Central School. After a lively school-wide presentation, Anna led smaller workshops tailored to specific grade levels, each one crafted to meet students right where they are.

After the whole school presentation at Vinalhaven, students got a chance to hold Anna’s Emmy.

Younger students participated in Anna’s Breaking News! program. Starting with a playful example, Anna introduced the classic reporter’s questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Then, using students’ wildly creative answers, she modeled how to turn their ideas into a “breaking news” report. Silly? Absolutely. Laugh-out-loud funny? Without question. Dinosaurs, aliens, and unicorns all made cameo appearances, and Anna wove each one seamlessly into her mock news broadcast.

Once students saw how it worked, she asked for volunteers—and instantly, eager hands shot into the air!

For the IRW team, watching this unfold was incredible—not just at Islesboro, but at Vinalhaven and North Haven as well. Some volunteers carried their excitement all the way through their reports. Others—initially thrilled about becoming a reporter—hesitated the moment they faced their peers with a microphone (okay, a marker) in hand. Suddenly, nerves crept in. What do I do? How do I start? Can I go back to my seat?

But never fear. Their classmates—and Anna—were right there to cheer them on and offer encouragement. Watching students transform from self-doubt to confidence was truly special. In addition to learning how important details are in their writing, they also began building comfort and confidence in their public speaking skills.

“My goal for today is for you to believe in yourself.” — Anna Crowley Redding

Each student received two of Anna’s nonfiction picture books, Courage Like Kate and Rescuing the Declaration of Independence, signed and personalized. The first tells the story of Kate Moore, a child who became a lighthouse keeper, and the second highlights Stephen Pleasanton, the clerk who saved records and writings—including the Declaration of Independence—during the English invasion of Washington, DC, in the War of 1812.

Older students across Islesboro, Vinalhaven, and North Haven participated in Anna’s History Detectives workshop. As a nonfiction author, Anna emphasized the value of primary sources and the importance of thoughtful, accurate research. After discussing Courage Like Kate, she handed out examples of primary documents and invited students to review them closely to determine which ones she used in her research. Students pored over Kate Moore’s journal entries, maps of the lighthouse, and even historic weather reports from old newspapers.

Students also had time to talk about their own writing—their ideas, their struggles, and their questions. How do you start with a blank page? What if it takes forever to get your thoughts together? How do you wrap up? Anna shared fun, practical tips to energize their writing, including playing “mind games” to get their brains unstuck and dictating ideas into a phone to jump-start a first draft. She also emphasized the many ways we continue to write throughout our lives—from applications to resumes—so practicing now is invaluable.

“As a teacher of writing, it is nice for students to hear different voices and to see that they can become a published author; but more importantly, the lessons they learn from these authors about their process, about the value of telling real or imagined stories, and about the challenge and amount of hard work it takes are all really important things for kids to hear.”
— Jessie Hallowell, Teacher, North Haven Community School

Anna presenting to North Haven students.

To all the students and teachers at Islesboro, Vinalhaven, and North Haven schools: thank you! Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and generosity made each visit truly memorable. It was such a joy to witness firsthand the vibrant learning communities you’ve built on each island. We can’t wait to return!

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