Saturday, December 06, 2014

50 States Against Bullying: SOUTH CAROLINA

Stop twenty-three on the 50 States Against Bullying campaign brought me to South Carolina. On Friday, I had the chance to speak at two nearby high schools. At Hanahan High School, the front of the stage was full of #ReasonsWhyYouMatter cards.



Some students designed shirts for my visit.



This person wasn't wearing a specially made shirt, but her name made her appropriate for a special photo.

Hannah Baker and Jay Asher

From there, I went to Cane Bay High School, grabbing a selfie as I entered the auditorium.


The freshmen at Cane Bay read Thirteen Reasons Why with an "interdisciplinary curriculum unit between English, math, science and social studies." (That's what my publisher wrote in my itinerary. I don't use words like 'interdisciplinary curriculum' myself.) This, of course, contributed to many questions that I haven't been asked before, which is always fun. After the presentation, a teacher and student came up to ask about the use of ivy in my book. Apparently it's mentioned three or four times, though I only recalled one scene. And their description of ivy as a metaphor was so brilliant, I'm totally going to say I did that on purpose from now on!


There are so many historical sites around Charleston, and I can't wait to return and explore more than I had the chance to this time. Something both historic and natural, and absolutely beautiful, huge, and mesmerizing, is the Angel Oak Tree. It's just so...so...beautiful! And huge! And mesmerizing!


I was also invited, and attended, both the Hanahan and Cane Bay high school faculty Christmas parties. I'll admit, I'm sad to leave after getting to know so many of them more than I usually have the chance to on this tour. So now, I guess I have another reason to come back!

2 comments:

Sabrina Steyling said...

That oak tree is majorly cool! And how neat that you got invited to the Christmas parties too. What a great stop on your tour!

Unknown said...

I loved this book makes you think, I wished there was more to stop bullying. Be great if you made it to Alabama. Good luck with this. I think its great what you're doing.