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Those who did not want to draw helped type and layout the pages.
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Some Emma Miller pupils pose with their own 'Old Rock.' The school librarian and students created a book walk based on the book by Deb Pilluti.
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The school has a 'famous' heart-shaped rock.
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Pages were placed through the school campus.

Savoy Students Create Book Walk Based on 'Old Rock'

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Librarian Maggie Donahue led the project and each child was assigned a page. 
SAVOY, Mass. — Students at the Emma L. Miller Memorial Elementary School created a book walk based on the book "Old Rock" by children's author Deb Pilutti. 
 
"So it made them really think about the characters. You have 42 different kids drawing the same rock. But every page looks different in 42 different ways," Librarian Maggie Donahue, who led the project said. "It becomes this character, and I feel like the more they drew the characters, the more, they knew them."
 
A book walk is an outdoor activity where the pages of a book are displayed along a path in a park or other outdoor space. Visitors can walk through the story, one page at a time.
 
Donahue said she contacted the author who gave the students permission to recreate her illustrations.
 
"Each kid was assigned a different page," she said. "And they went above and beyond what I was expecting."
 
Student Blake Lenski said creating a book walk goes a lot further than just simply reading the story.
 
"It's better because you can see your page, and you get excited," he said. "You get to decide what the page looks like."
 
His classmates agreed and said they enjoyed coloring, drawing, and designing their pages.
 
Donahue added that each one of the 42 students enrolled at the school did their part, and those not interested in drawing helped with typing and the layout.
 
Donahue said she chose the book because, at a recent town celebration, the town used the logo "Savoy Rocks." Also, the school has some great rocks and boulders on campus including a heart-shaped rock.
 
"I wanted to find a book about a rock that would tie into the town and school," she said. "I read a couple but absolutely loved 'Old Rock.'" 
 
She said some of these rocks were included in the walk and characters were hung from trees providing photo opportunities throughout the story.
 
The book walk spans along the school's gate and exterior and zigzags down through the playground and playing fields. There are pages about the author and a quick explainer on rocks before the actual story.
 
During the process, students also participated in a virtual Q&A with the author.
 
"It was really lovely, and the students did so well," Donahue said. "They were so excited about meeting a real-life author and illustrator. They asked such good questions. She talked a lot about the process and gave them a virtual tour of her workspace."
 
Student Wesley Rosni said he was excited to meet a real author.
 
"It was very exciting because I've never met an actual author before," he said. "Yeah. It was like a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
 
As was Lilah Lenski
 
"It was like really cool because like we got to ask like all sorts of questions," she said. 
 
Cedric Meczwor said it was a great experience even though he was a little nervous 
 
"It was a little anxious and weird because I didn't know what to say, he said. "But it was exciting."
Donahue said she hopes to keep the walk up all summer so all families 
 
"I was floored by the work. They put so much time and attention into it," she said. "And they did what an author does. They see that they can do it now."
 
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Clarksburg Select Board Accepts School Roof Bid, Debates Next Steps

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Select Board last week accepted a bid by D.J. Wooliver & Sons to do the flat roof on the elementary school. 
 
Wooliver was the lowest bid at about $400,000 but cautioned that the cost may rise depending on the conditions once the work started. The work will depend on town meeting approving a borrowing for the project and a possible debt exclusion.
 
But how much borrow and whether the work will be worth it has been a conundrum for town and school officials. The condition of the school has been a major topic at meetings of the board and the School Committee over the past few months. 
 
Town officials are considering putting the question to the voters — try to piecemeal renovations or begin a new study on renovating or building a new school. 
 
In the meantime, the leaking roof has prompted an array of buckets throughout the school. 
 
"Until they actually get in there and start ripping everything up, we won't really know the extent of all the damage per se so it's really kind of hard to make a decision," board member Colton Andrew said at last week's meeting, broadcast on Northern Berkshire Community Television.
 
Board member Daniel Haskins wondered if it would be better to patch until a town made a decision on a school project or do a portion of the roof. But Chair Robert Norcross disagreed. 
 
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