Hurley third graders publish book about pioneers

HURLEY - Hurley third graders held a book party Monday to celebrate the publishing of the class's book on pioneers in the old West.

Students in Kristen Kolesar's class wrote fictional stories about pioneers traveling west and the challenges they faced along the way.

Each student also offered a picture to go with the story.

All of the stories were published in a hardcover book called "The American Experience: Pioneers Going West."

According to Kolesar, students learned about pioneers in social studies and also made pioneer toys, including whirligigs, Jacob's ladders and block puzzles.

"This is the second year we have done this, and the students really look forward to it," Kolesar said. "The students read 'Little House on the Prairie' and they really enjoyed it."

Students were "challenged to include accurate historical facts," Kolesar said.

On Friday, they will perform a musical about pioneers in the auditorium at 1:30 p.m.

Parents and grandparents attended the book party and listened to students read their stories. For Kolesar, having parents attend was "wonderful.

"It really shows the support they have for their children's education," Kolesar said.

The books were published by Studentreasurers Publishing.

The class toasted sparkling juice on the success of the book.

"This is an excellent keepsake for the students," Kolesar said. "We had a lot of fun with this."