From left are Lee students Hannah Holland, Nate Matos and Ben Stallings with TCPS students Dyess Johnson and Shauna Drinnon with their poster on “The Hobbit”
Twenty Lee University English majors from Dr. Donna Summerlin’s Introduction to English Studies class collaborated this semester with 7th and 8th grade students at Tennessee Christian Preparatory School to research, create and present projects about the power of writers to transform the world through imagination.
Presentation topics included “Cinderella,” “The Hobbit,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and Marvel Comics, among others.
Groups consisted of two to three Lee students working with TCPS students. The TCPS students were all from the English classes of Audri Wood, wife of Dr. Randy Wood, chair of the Department of History, Political Science and Humanities.
“Working with Mrs. Wood and the students at TCPS to create these posters and orchestrate these events offers both a meaningful and an enjoyable way for English majors to earn service credit while doing what they love and promoting the practice of writing and reading,” said Dr. Summerlin. “In addition to the benefits of encouraging young readers to see the value of literary works (film and text), the project has the side benefit of providing a positive experience with Lee University for a number of students and their families.”
The two classes met several times throughout the semester to work on the projects, with students also meeting on their own time. All group members did reading and research and worked on posters, with Lee students also creating annotated bibliographies based on their research.
“Though in small part, we participated in the life-giving, relationship-building process that Christ set before us during His time here on earth,” said Colleen McCain, a student in Summerlin’s class at Lee. “I have cultivated a love for literature and writing and I was able to use my gifts within the discipline God gave me to spark a relationship with the TCPS students. This project reminded me of my responsibility to invest in others, regardless of their age.”
Poster presentations took place at TCPS and at Lee.
For more information about Lee’s Department of Language and Literature, call 614-8210.
Pictured with their poster on “The Wizard of Oz” are from left, Ben Stallings (Lee), Allyson Pope (TCPS), David Andrews (TCPS), Makenzie Gossett (Lee) and Ashlee Shirk (Lee)