Centerville Students Book Release Party Today

Today, Clemson University Pearce Center interns will return to Centerville Elementary to host a party for “What Will I Be?,”  stories written by the 24 students in Laura Heffington’s class about their future career goals.

Each student will receive a copy of the published book at that time.

Clemson University student interns from the Pearce Center for Professional Communication collaborated with a fourth-grade class at Centerville Elementary School in Anderson to publish a book earlier this semester. 

“The Pearce Center recognizes that students who fail to develop a passion for reading and writing at a young age are less likely to succeed in their education,” said Ashley Cowden Fisk, assistant director of the center. “The goal of this project is to inspire the Centerville Elementary students to develop a love of both reading and writing, as well as to enable students to recognize their unlimited career potential. Our hope is that the students will read this book over the summer to bridge the education gap that often occurs between school years.”

Beth Winship, a Pearce Center intern and senior marketing major, emphasized the importance of writing in every career.

“I never considered myself a strong writer, but through my work at the Pearce Center, I’ve learned how important communication is in every field,” she said. “I hope that we have been able to influence Mrs. Heffington’s class as strong role models so that each student feels encouraged to achieve their dreams and excel in their education, beginning by developing strong writing skills.”

James Kidd, another Pearce intern, working with two students, Joshua Donald and Jonah Calhoun, on some final edits to their stories.

The Pearce Center’s mission is to promote effective communication as an integral part of the learning process at all levels of schooling. The Center’s emphasis on writing, editing, design and print and digital publication production provides a valuable service-learning opportunity for the interns. The collaboration with Centerville Elementary allowed Pearce Center undergraduate student interns to gain career experience in publishing while also promoting reading, writing and editing at the elementary school level.