Principal Sam is at it again!
The loveable principal, who often gets confused, ate far too many snacks on Halloween. Principal Sam gained a lot of weight and is not in shape. To fix this, Principal Sam turns to Ms. Tami, the school’s physical education instructor.
Principal Sam is at it again! The loveable principal, who often gets confused, ate far too many snacks on Halloween. Principal Sam gained a lot of weight and is not in shape. To fix this, Principal Sam turns to Ms. Tami, the school’s physical education instructor. Ms. Tami invites Principal Sam into her class. Poor Principal Sam begins to mix-up the sports and activities. Once again the children of the school help Principal Sam. They teach him about the sports. All is well until a problem occurs on Field Day… Can the special day be saved?
PRINCIPAL SAM'S NOT FEELING WELL!
He's been eating too much candy and forgetting to exercise. Principal Sam knows he needs to get in shape, but he's not sure where to start. Ms. Tami tells Principal Sam to come to her P.E. class. If only he could keep all the sports straight! It's a good thing the kids of Sunnyside School are here to help!
GUEST POST
The Idea for Principal Sam
The idea of the Principal Sam character came as a result of the way I typically talk with students. I try to be a principal who is accessible to the children. I try to make personal connections with each child. At times, I use humor to make kids smile and laugh. Is there anything more wonderful than a happy child? A number of years ago, on a holiday, I honestly don’t remember which one it was, I purposely said something silly to a student such as, “I am so glad it’s Valentine’s Day. I can’t wait to go trick-or-treating.” The child laughed. I realized that whenever I say things like this, the children always seem to enjoy it. I then thought, “There’s a storybook character there – a principal who is kind, and works hard, but who also confuses simple things.” That is how Principal Sam was born.
I shared my idea with my wife and children who liked the idea. I then “pitched” the first story, about confusing holidays, to an industry professional who fell in love with the character. She asked if there were more stories in the series. I stated that I could come up with as many as she needed. That night I wrote the first draft of “Principal Sam Gets Fit,” a story where Principal Sam confuses sports. Soon after, “Principal Sam and the Three Bears” was developed. The literary professional and I never made a business deal, but I knew then I had a special character that had potential.
One of the great aspects of the Principal Sam stories is that the children are the real heroes. They have the ideas that allow Principal Sam to find solutions to the things that confuse him. It is wonderful when adults can learn from children. This book series highlights that fact.
I next reached out to my good friend, John Fredericks. Our friendship goes back to our college days together. He is a great artist. I asked him if he’d be willing to draw a likeness of Principal Sam. He created the exact character I envisioned Principal Sam as being. From there, John became Principal Sam’s illustrator.
I was so thrilled with Ravenswood Publishing saw the potential in this character and his book series. While the first books talk about simple things that Principal Sam confuses such as holidays and sports, some books that will be coming out in the near future will deal with serious issues for children including bullying and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineers, and Mathematics) learning.
Principal Sam is a character that children can relate to because they also get confused about simple things. Because Principal Sam is a character they will grow to love and enjoy, when he does get serious about certain things, like bullying, children will be able to learn from him.
I am very excited about the future of Principal Sam! The children in his school help him and he will be able, in turn, to help other children everywhere.
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About the author:
Dr. Semendinger has been a passionate child-centered educator for almost 30 years. He first enjoyed a successful career as a middle school history earning numerous awards including “Teacher of the Year” and the prestigious “A+For Kids” grant before moving on to administration. Dr. Semendinger has served as a high school vice principal, a middle school principal, and is currently the principal of the most wonderful elementary school in the whole world!
Dr. Semendinger is also an accomplished writer. His first book of motivational passages, “Impossible is an Illusion” was be released in June 2017 by Ravenswood Publishing. Dr. Semendinger’s first novel, “Scattering the Ashes” will be released in 2018 also from Ravenswood. In addition, Dr. Semendinger writes picture books. His first picture book for children “Principal Sam and the Calendar Confusion” has been released to excellent reviews! The follow-up book in the Principal Sam series, “Principal Sam Gets Fit” will be released in July 2017. Dr. Semendinger’s original and unique history of the New York Yankees “The Least Among Them,” is also currently in editorial review. In additional to his published writing, Dr. Semendinger is a featured writer on the highly successful Yankees blog, “It’s About the Money” which is a member of the ESPN SweetSpot Network. He also frequently publishes on eduTopia and on his highly successful blog.
More than all of this, a family man, Dr. Semendinger enjoys and greatly values the time he can spend as a husband and “Dad” with his wife and three sons. There is nothing he is prouder of than the fact that he is a good dad and husband.
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