West Newsmagazine 3-21-18

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No owl, but ‘Harry Potter’ letter thrills local fan
March 21, 2018
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I SCHOOLS I 19
Twin Oaks Christian fourth-grader Addie
Drumm received a letter from J.K. Rowling,
the British author best known for the
‘Harry Potter’ fantasy series.
Rowling responded to a letter Drumm had
written as part of the fourth-grade letter-writing
unit, which instructed students on how to
write a variety of friendly and business letters.
“Addie’s reaction was priceless!” teacher
Kendall Brewer said. “You could see the
sheer excitement and surprise on her face.
It was an open-mouth, hands-on-thecheeks
reaction.”
Upon opening the letter, Drumm’s classmates
crowded around to get a peek at J.K.
Rowling’s stationary and hear Drumm read
the letter aloud to the entire class.
“As I went up to get the letter from Miss
Brewer, my good friend, Norah Yost, ran
up to give me a big hug,” Drumm said. “I
could barely read it because I was shaking
so much! ‘Harry Potter’ is my absolute
favorite book. I actually just started reading
the fourth book of the series.”
Initially, she thought the letter of response
was from her friend and classmate, Kaitlyn
Reidler, whom she had written a letter to as
one of her friendly letter assignments.
Rowling’s letter discussed her busy writing
schedule as well as her appreciation for all of
the fans who take the time to write. Rowling
mentioned that the play, “Harry Potter and
the Cursed Child,” on which she
collaborated, now is showing at the
Palace Theatre in London.
When asked what she learned
from the writing unit, Drumm said,
“I learned that we sign our name in
cursive at the end of the letter. I
also learned that if you do receive
a letter back from your favorite
author that it is probably a oncein-a-lifetime
opportunity. I really
did not expect to get picked!”
Addie Drumm with teacher Kendall Brewer shows off
her letter from J.K. Rowling.
Come in Now to See One of St. Louis’
Best Selections of Furniture and Fireplaces
FOCUS, from page 15
many of the participating photographers,
the Marquette High student has won before,
taking first place in 2016 in the same division.
“There are so many talented photographers,
who see in such a variety of lenses,
that it would be difficult to place multiple
years in a row,” said Douglas.
The first-place award in the ages 21 to 49
category went to Sean Badock for “Dividing
Lines,” one of the architectural submissions.
His top finish netted him a $150 prize.
In addition to age-specific categories,
one special award was given to the “Best
in Show.” That esteemed win was the submission
by Bodhi Lee for her photograph
“Slow Music,” winning her the biggest
cash prize of the night – $200.
“FOCUS helps to showcase the magnificent
talent in our own area and opens up
possibilities for other art events,” shared
Douglas.
For example, later this year, third-place
winner McKenzie Donaldson will have a
special art exhibit in the new parks and
recreation facility in Paul A. Schroeder
Park. Donaldson won with her photograph
“Milkbath” in the ages 14 to 20 category.
In addition to Manchester Arts volunteers
and city employees, the International
Photography Hall of Fame and Museum,
Parkway School District, guitarist Michael
Newman from the Lucky Dan & Naked
Mike band, and West Newsmagazine
donated funding, services, talent and time
to make the event possible.
Winning entries are on display through
April 22, in a special FOCUS 2018 Awards
Exhibit, in the second-floor courtroom gallery
at the Manchester Police Facility, 200
Highlands Blvd. The gallery is open from
9 a.m.-8 p.m., seven days a week.
Seaside • Hanamint • Ebel • Winston
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