Nikki
Tates Great Pony Express Adventure 2002
Canadian
Children's Author Speaks To Huge Audience
FALLON,
NV The entire E.C. Best Elementary school in Fallon, NV turned
out to hear Canadian childrens author Nikki Tate talk about
the Pony Express, which is the setting for her 11th childrens
novel, Jos Triumph (Orca Book Publishers). The audience of
over 500 students necessitated Nikki using modern conveniences
a megaphone and a microphone so that all the children could
hear her presentation on the back of her docile pony, Breezy.
Nikkis childrens books have now joined the 20,000 others
in the schools prolific library, nine of which are included
in the Accelerated Reader program (www.renlearn.com). School principal
Scott Meihack credits the program with turning his school around
from being rated "inadequate" seven years ago to one where
the 420 readers in the school read 24-million words last year, checking
out 50,000 books from the library during the school term. The school
is now a Western Regional training site for the program.
A visit to another Fallon school, Lahontan Elementary garnered more
enthusiasm from the Grade Four students, whose curriculum this year
includes Nevada history. Nikki was able to tell them about the events
of 1860 that occurred in their area when the short lived Pony Express
made its appearance.
Another sunset brought another trail ride, this time in the Fort
Churchill area in the shadows of the remains of the fort that was
built the same year as the first Pony Express rider carried the
mail across the country.
Nikkis has another interesting weekend of Trail rides planned
and a book signing at the Mark Twain Book Store in Virginia City
Saturday. She is carrying mail, Pony Express style, from Canadian
school children to students in Nevada. Her adventures will culminate
at the Great Basin Book Fair in Reno on September 21.
Follow
Nikki Tate's Pony Express Adventure on her website at www.stablemates.net.
PONY EXPRESS 2002 SPONSORS:
Bolen
Books (Victoria, BC) Clearsilver Media (Victoria, BC) Horse Council
BC (Aldergrove, BC) Leisure Time Rentals (Victoria, BC) Orca Book
Publishers (Victoria, BC) Scrapbook Parade (Victoria, BC) Sono Nis
Press (Winlaw, BC) Theatre Row Auto Sales (Victoria, BC) Karl Schutz
(Chemainus, BC)
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