BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — More than 100 sixth graders at Discovery Elementary wrote original stories as a classroom assignment. Only a handful were selected to be illustrated by students at Centennial High School — and the finished books will soon be donated to children in local hospitals.
Hunter Kootstra, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said he didn't expect her story to be chosen for illustration.
"No, I was shocked when I found out," Kootstra said. "And over here, she has no idea about the photo, so they add question marks in order to give details on how she reacted."
For the elementary students whose stories were selected, the experience was a memorable one.
"And to think that mine was one of those 20 books was pretty cool. I was really excited, and my family was even more excited," Ruby, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said.
"When I saw how it looked, it looked exactly how it looked in my mind," Lorelei, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said.
"I just really liked it in general. It reminded me of like old Disney," Sofia, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said.
On the high school side, student artists were given creative freedom to interpret each story in their own way.
"I liked her story because it's a nice ground to work upon and it's a good story too," Cain Castro, a student at Centennial High School, said. "What do they look like? Is he intimidating? Or does he look intimidating but really is a nice person inside?"
Teachers say the collaboration brings both creativity and real-world experience into the classroom.
"And bring characters to life that our fabulous Discovery students have written about," Yvette Stockton, an art teacher at Centennial High School, said.
"Getting creative. Trying to envision what this might look like in the end," Melissa Arvizu, a sixth-grade teacher at Discovery Elementary, said.
For some Centennial students, the project carries a personal connection. Penelope Bocanegra, a student at Centennial High School, once had her own story illustrated as a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary.
"To now choose another kids… to draw their story, I feel like it's kind of a precious moment," Bocanegra said. "These are the pages I'm most proud of because I feel like they add the most detail and they showcase, like, friendship between the three frogs."
The students say they hope the books bring comfort to the children who receive them.
"They might be going through some hard times in their life, so I hope this brings them some joy," Lorelei said.
"I tried to put a lot of humor into my book, so I really hope they laugh at my book," Skylar, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said.
"Because spreading kindness is a good thing," Kootstra said.
"I hope that they enjoy this book and that it'll give them something fun to do, and that they get better," Wyatt Lemke, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said.
For the students involved, the project was about more than a classroom assignment; it was about connection and giving back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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