Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/131602
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE KAT In The Hat in the Hat," while others would be a little afraid and take time to warm up to the idea of me crawling around on the floor next to them. It wasn't just the students at the schools who were excited to see the Cat in the Hat. When we would stop to eat, people at the restaurants would ask if they could take a picture with me; of course I always said This past March I had the wonderful yes. Sandy had fun with some of opportunity to be the Cat in the Hat our servers when we went into the for the South Dakota "Cat Mobile." restaurants and would ask if they had I spent a week on the road with a bowl of warm milk for her cat. I Sandy, visiting schools and promoting would follow up with, "Could you reading. I would get up early every tell me where your litter box is?" We morning, before 6 am, and put on put in some really long days, starting my white face paint with a black before 6 am and getting to bed after nose and whiskers. I would then slip midnight, but it was so rewarding to into my cat costume, and we would see all the joy and excitement in the hit the road on our way to our first faces of the students that it was so school. We presented to individual worth losing a little sleep that week. classrooms, grade-level assemblies, and all-school assemblies with groups I am planning on doing a "Kat-aas large as 500 students. It was so Van" (note Kat for Kathy) in Wyoming great to see next year during March. I would like the looks on to model it after what Sandy does the students' in South Dakota: students in the faces when I schools will write to the Association would jump president, asking the Cat in the Hat out of my to come to their schools. Then I will hiding place plan my road trip across Wyoming, at just the hitting as many of the schools as I right time can. If I am unable to make it to a in the story. school, it would be at the top of the Some of the list for the following school year. I students will be working with the WEA-Retired would point group and the SWEA student group to and tell their help with the "Kat-a-Van" activities. classmates, Be looking for more information "Look, look, about the "Kat-a-Van" next school it's the Cat year. I would like to thank my colleague, Sandy Arseneault, for the wonderful mentoring and the great idea for a WEA Kat-a-Van. 4 SUMMER 2013 Summer 2013.indd 4 | WEAnews 5/17/13 11:44 AM 2013 The NEA provides resources to allow newly-elected state affiliate presidents mentoring opportunities from more experienced presidents. When visiting with my mentor, South Dakota Education Association President Sandy Arseneault, she suggested I share in the experience of how they celebrate Read Across America.