Sammy McClure Middle School Earns First Place in National Book Fair Contest

From a press release

Sammy McClure Middle School students will meet Maggie Stiefvater, author of the best-selling “Shiver” trilogy and “The Raven Cycle” series, during a special school-wide event next week at the Dallas, Ga., school.

The author will visit the school Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Stiefvater will talk about her stories, answer questions from the students, and sign copies of her books.

The school won the visit from Stiefvater after earning first place in the Scholastic Book Fairs National Middle School Student Crew Contest, a semi- annual competition that encourages students to host the best Book Fair in the nation by creating contests, designing advertising campaigns, hosting activities, and developing themes, all aimed at attracting and increasing student and parent interest in the Book Fair as well as in books and reading.

The school also will receive $2,000 in books and merchandise from Scholastic. Sammy McClure is the only school in the nation to win first place honors in the National Middle School Contest five times.

Last spring, Sammy McClure Student Crew members organized a Boardwalk- themed Book Fair and decorated the library with roller coaster tracks, carousel horses, caricatures, gigantic corn dogs, and ticket booths.

Students participated in fun boardwalk-themed activities including a portrait poster contest, daily trivia, a saltwater taffy guessing game, and a hotdog-eating contest. The school also hosted a teacher preview, two family events, and a reading challenge. To increase Book Fair traffic, the principal agreed to dress as a clown if the Book Fair sales goal was met.

Sammy McClure Middle School is located at 315 Bob Grogan Drive in Dallas.