Aventura City of Excellence School
Aventura, FL

The seventh grade students at Aventura City of Excellence School (ACES) made 182 Dream Stars. Each student made two stars – one with a goal for themselves and one with a dream to make our world a better place. Students at ACES are encouraged not only to dream, but also to live by the Living Values: peace, respect, love, tolerance, honesty, humility, cooperation, happiness, responsibility, simplicity, and unity. Writes principal Julie Alm, "We hope that all your dreams for yourselves and our world will be encouraged through our link in the Dream Chain and hope that our stars will inspire others to dream as well."

Chumuckla Elementary School
Jay, FL

When author and educator Susan Bosak walked into Chumuckla Elementary School, the entire cafeteria had been transformed into an amazing Dream Space! There were sparkling lights and shimmering black fabric covering all the walls, and hanging yellow stars on the walls and ceiling to create a beautiful environment for her presentations to the pre-K to grade 6 students. Chumuckla Elementary is located in a rural part of Florida, 30 miles east of Pensacola and 30 miles south of the Alabama line. All 275 students created Dream Stars. Since the school has been adopted by a local Native American tribe, the principal, Dr. Karen Barber, handcrafted a large dream catcher with real feathers and wove the center so that students could fill it with their Dream Stars. Writes Reading Coach Rachel Musser on behalf of the teachers and students, "We have joined a new club, the Club of Dreamers, and our wish is that all of our dreams will color your world in shades of brightness to make your lives and the lives of others better."

Ross Elementary School
Pittsburgh, PA

In response to Susan Bosak's book Dream, the students at Ross Elementary are participating in a year-long reading and writing project. Each student is creating their own "Dream Journal" to imagine their own dreams and illustrate their hopes for the future. The grade 3-6 students made 350 Dream Stars with dreams and wishes for their own future, their family, and our world. The dreams are starting points for discussion and writing throughout the school year. "We are searching for ways to create a more hopeful and wonder-filled world." The students and teachers at Ross Elementary were thrilled to receive the dream catcher from Chumuckla Elementary – especially since Ross Elementary uses a Native American in full headdress as an emblem at their school.

Green Valley Elementary School
Parma, OH

The kindergarten to grade 6 students at Green Valley Elementary made 389 stars with their dreams and goals. Green Valley Elementary is located in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Author and educator Susan Bosak's visit was actually a dream fulfilled by PTA President Marie Laheta, who had met Susan at the national PTA convention. When Susan announced that Green Valley Elementary was receiving a Dream Star package from Ross Elementary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, there was a surprising coincidence – one of the teachers at Green Valley Elementary had attended Ross Elementary as a child and one of the teachers who still teaches at Ross Elementary inspired the young girl to become a teacher when she got older.

Spitzee Elementary School
High River, AB

With a school motto of "we all belong," Spitzee Elementary School is located about 45 minutes south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Author and educator Susan Bosak was in Calgary to launch the Dream Exhibit, featuring all the original artwork created for Dream, at Glenbow Museum and was able to visit a few schools in the area. The 29 staff and 288 students welcomed Susan and were excited to present their Dream Star package along with a special poem written by principal Marina Schoon. In part it read, "At Spitzee School we're dreaming/Dreaming about being a special place where we all belong and respect each other./At Spitzee School we're dreaming/Dreaming about making a difference at home and abroad…/And now our dreams will travel in this special box with our wishes and goals./We hope you too will catch the star/That will begin to take YOUR dreams afar."

Sunalta School
Calgary, AB

Students from kindergarten to grade 6 created 250 Dream Stars to present to Susan Bosak as part of her visit to Sunalta School. Principal Chris Aylesworth said he had been a Dreamer all his life, and that one of his dreams was to make his school a place that encouraged students to become all they could be with rich experiences like author visits and opportunities to share with students at other schools. Teacher Doug Noakes explains, "we believe students learn by doing and that their learning and understanding creates our future. Thinking about dreams and goals is an important part of this process." As students share their personal goals, Doug Noakes encourages everyone to think about how they can help someone reach their goals. "By thinking this way, we help each other to make our dreams come true."

Bryantville Elementary School Pembroke, MA

Susan Bosak
had a surprise connection to Principal Cathy MacLeod when they discovered both had been born in Winnipeg, Canada! Bryantville Elementary, located just south of Boston, contributed approximately 300 Dream Stars to the Dream Chain. After Susan presented to kindergarten to grade 6 students, and did a teacher workshop at the school, she participated in Bryantville's Literacy Night, signing both Dream and Something to Remember Me By books for students and parents. Say the Dreamers at Bryantville, "We imagine that some of our dreams may be the same dreams that you wish for in your lives and in our world. Our wish for you is that all your hopes and dreams come true. Remember to always dream, because each Dreamer can make our world a better place."

Columbus Elementary School Thornwood, NY

2007 is a special year for Columbus Elementary, located 45 minutes north of New York City. They are celebrating their 50th birthday! Their dreams began in 1957 and continue on today in the hearts and minds of Columbus families. To help celebrate, Susan Bosak was invited to a special luncheon with a class of grade 3 students. After enjoying pasta, sandwiches, salad, and a dream cake and star cookies, Susan answered questions from the students and got to know them. Then it was on to a huge assembly in the school gym for all the grade
3-5 students. They presented Susan with 365 beautiful Dream Stars lovingly created with the help of art teacher Lauralee Chambers. "With every birthday comes the making of wishes. We have closed our eyes tight, blown out our candles and sent into the wind these Dream Stars with our wishes for you to treasure. The children at Columbus Elementary pass on the gift of their words and their creative spirit. We hope that you always grow in wonder and never give up on your dreams. Shine like the stars you are, be the bright light of our future, and express your true self in all that you do."

Garrettford Elementary School
Drexel Hill, PA

Located near Philadelphia, Garrettford Elementary is a grand old school nearly 100 years old. Students from grades 1-5 contributed 535 Dream Stars in a replica of the Dream Chest illustrated in Dream. Principal Wayne McAllister had his arm in a sling after recent shoulder surgery, but that didn't stop him from participating enthusiastically in Susan Bosak's presentations. The school's year-long theme is "Dream to Become" and Wayne McAllister has been encouraging student dreams at the school for 25 years. He explains, "Garrettford is 'A Great Place to Grow.' We want all children to be surrounded by wonderful families and school staff who will support them and guide them to become wonderful adults so that this world will be 'a great place to grow' for us all."

MaST Community Charter School Philadelphia, PA

Named National Charter School of the Year, the Math, Science and Technology (MaST) Community Charter School is
a dynamic environment of dedicated staff and enthusiastic students. The school has a waiting list of children from
the greater Philadelphia area. Susan Bosak was treated to a
star-themed lunch – star chicken noodle soup, star sandwiches, star chocolates, and moon pies for dessert – and had a chance to meet a student representative from each grade in this K-12 school. 570 students in grades 2-8 created Dream Stars and presented them to Susan in a handpainted wooden Dream box. Tracy West-Bernstein is the Enrichment Coordinator at MaST and writes, "Nine years ago, a group of teachers, parents, and students shared a dream. They dreamt of a school where teachers could do what was best for all students, a place where children were excited to come each day to learn, and a place where parents always felt welcomed and involved. That dream has become our place: MaST Community Charter School. Chasing the dream of a K-12 school was not an easy task. We started out in a shopping mall and rented spaces at local synagogues. We were in five different locations, but somehow our dream held us together. We finally found a building where we could all fit snuggly. Over the next few years, we conquered one obstacle after another to build a new building. At MaST we believe that it takes a team to make a dream. Our dream will never die as long as we have dedicated teachers and administrators, enthusiastic students, and caring parents. And so, our challenge to you is to find a dream of your own – pursue it, nurture it, and never let it die. No matter where you live or what you look like, people all over the world dream about the same things. What a wonderful place the world would be if we could all come together with our shared dreams and make them a reality. We did it at MaST! Can you?"

Lescon Elementary School
Toronto, ON

Kindergarten to grade 6 students created 300 Dream Stars to present to Susan Bosak as part of her visit to Lescon Elementary School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Principal Jan Siegel writes, "In our Dream Stars you'll find our personalities, ranging from humorous to serious with much creativity in between. You'll find hopes and dreams for individuals, as well as for groups of people at a more global level. You can also see our individual styles through our decorative approach to the various stars. This is a wonderful way for children from different places to get acquainted. Perhaps someday we will all get to meet and celebrate our uniqueness!"

Lambton-Kingsway School
Toronto, ON

Susan Bosak visited this junior middle school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada thanks to an invitation from Parent Council member Jane Taylor who had seen her speak to a Girl Guide group. Students from grades 1-8 contributed 300 Dream Stars. "It is our wish that all students everywhere are enabled to reach high levels of both personal achievement and satisfaction. We dream of enriched academic environments that are accessible to all. We hope that your school is full of wonderful teachers and, more importantly, that your students are rich in their compassion for others, strong in their commitment to learning, and that they have a passion for life."

Poplar Bank Public School
Newmarket, ON

Susan Bosak was lucky enough to spend two days at Poplar Bank school in Newmarket, ON, Canada, north of Toronto. One day was spent with teachers in a literacy and goal-setting workshop, and the other was spent with students from grades 1-8. Poplar Bank contributed 650 Dream Stars in a bag decorated with the names of all the countries of origin of the diverse student body. Not only are they collecting the dreams and goals of their students, but they've also invited parents to send the school the dreams they have for their children. Each morning, some of the dreams are shared during the announcements to encourage and inspire both staff and students. Vice Principal Kim Wagner says the wish of their school for others is: "Believe in the richness of cultural diversity, do the right thing by fostering positive relationships with each other and by celebrating the differences and similarities, and think of the role each person plays in fostering inclusion in an ever-expanding global community. Engaging and celebrating our diversity will bring us all closer together."

École Fairview School
Calgary, AB

Back in Calgary by popular request from local schools (many had visited the Dream Exhibit at Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) and to do a keynote at the Calgary Teachers' Convention,
Susan Bosak's first stop was École Fairview School, a French immersion middle school. Grade 5, 6, and 7 students contributed 240 Dream Stars. Says teacher Dawna Jean Wiens who helped organize the visit, "As each Dreamer is unique, each dream is unique. Our wish is that we will all create a better world through our dreaming and through pursuing our dreams."

St. Clare School
Calgary, AB

As part of the kick-off for their reading fundraiser two years ago, St. Clare School used the Dream book to create a theme and focus for their reading. Principal Joe Piechotta created a backdrop for his reading corner. He spent time reading to each of the classes and talking about the importance of dreams. The school showcases were filled with illustrations from Dream, as well as student art and written work. Students and staff talked about how wonderful it would be to meet the author – and so they invited Susan Bosak for a visit when they found out she would be coming to Calgary. 560 kindergarten to grade 6 students, as well as school staff, participated in an exciting journey into the world of dreams and wishes, even learning about such famous contemporary Dreamers as Colonel Sanders and Walt Disney. "Interesting how things in our life happen for a reason. We are so delighted to now be a part of the Dream Chain."

Escuela Canyon Meadows School
Calgary, AB

Canyon Meadows is a Spanish bilingual school. Kindergarten to grade 6 students contributed 480 Dream Stars. Music teacher Kathy Sorensen helped organize Susan Bosak's visit and worked with students on a special dream-themed song they sang after Susan's presentation. Then, everyone joined in singing the school spirit song. Here are some of the lyrics: "Escuela Canyon Meadows, it's the best school you can see/Through caring, sharing, learning, that's great for you and me./We'll dream our dreams together, just watch us as we grow/In Spanish or in English, it's the best place we all know!"

Stanley Jones Elementary School
Calgary, AB

Stanley Jones School in Calgary has over 90 years of history in the community.
It offers three different programs:
Deaf and Hard
of Hearing, Community, and Alice Jamieson Academy for Girls. 338 kindergarten to grade 9 students contributed to the Dream Chain. The Parent Council made Susan Bosak's visit to the school possible. Two students taped portions of Susan's two presentations so that parents can check out the video from the library and continue to encourage the dreams of their children. Says Patricia Ballance, grade 6 teacher, "Our school motto is 'Children come first and last.' We believe that the dreams of our children are the future for all of us."

Guy Weadick Elementary School
Calgary, AB

Alberta is a Canadian province whose past and present are full of Dreamers who moved there to follow their dreams. But no Dreamer ever had a greater lasting impression than the one made by the man who brought the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth to life – Guy Weadick. He was a well-known Wild West performer who envisioned a cowboy championship that paid tribute to the old west. And so, after a lot of work and perseverance, the Calgary Stampede was born in 1912. Today, the stampede is a world-class event that attracts hundreds of thousands of people to Calgary every year. How would Calgary be different today if Guy Weadick had not followed his dream? The namesake of this school reminds staff and students every day that one person can make a difference. Guy Weadick and his dreams inspired the Dream Chest the 340 kindergarten to grade 6 students filled with Dream Stars and presented to Susan Bosak. Write teachers Stacey Hinks and Anne Nicholls on behalf of the school, "Even if someone's dream seems very hard to accomplish, encourage it anyway. Who knows what wonderful accomplishments we'll have 40 years from now."

The Laureate Academy
Winnipeg, MB

The Laureate Academy in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada is a small alternative school that encourages and celebrates the unique potential in every student. Author Susan Bosak was greeted enthusiastically by students from 8 to 15 years of age. They had lots of questions and comments on her book Dream after studying it for the past two years. Among the many activities they had done with the book, each student had selected a member of the Club of Dreamers, learned all about that historical person, and then presented the information they found to their classmates. Students contributed approximately 40 Dream Stars. The also created a Dream Tree featuring student dreams and goals. "Our school population is small, but our dreams are definitely not!"

H.S. Paul School
Winnipeg, MB

Susan Bosak was invited to HS Paul School to help celebrate "I Love to Read" month. The school has students from kindergarten to grade 8. Everyone had participated in various Dream-themed activities and was excited to meet the author! They contributed approximately 300 Dream Stars – though they weren't exactly stars. Following on the theme of a treasure chest, students decorated large paper replicas of the Canadian one-dollar coin, the "Loonie" (nicknamed after the loon that appears on one side). On the backside, each student wrote his or her dream or goal. They ranged from "Peace in the world" to "I want to become a teacher." One student offered both a dream for himself – "I want to be a cartoonist, an astronomer, or a surgeon" – and a dream for our world – "I want to stop global warming."

Allendale Elementary School
West Seneca, NY

As part of their Read Across America celebrations, Allendale invited Susan Bosak to share Dream. Kindergarten to grade 6 students contributed over 500 Dream Stars. Some stars represented dreams for the world, others were dreams for the community, and still others were dreams for the writers themselves. Even the teachers participated, each creating a large sheet with an elaborately decorated Dream Star – some complete with glitter! – and their personal dreams. Teachers posted these sheets along the hall so that students could read them as they stood in line for lunch every day. School librarian Amanda Marrano, who coordinated the visit and is in the process of adopting a child, shared her dream to create a family of children adopted from around the world. She also shares a favorite quote from Angela Schwindt: "While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about."

H.R. Jefferies
Jr. High School
Comanche, TX

A short trip to Texas allowed Susan Bosak to collect 90 very special Dream Stars from Grade 7 students at H.R. Jefferies. Students made some important connections between the themes in Dream and other texts. Teacher Kate Denning explained that students had also read the book Night by Elie Wiesel and watched the movie The Diary of Anne Frank. "As we learned about these two teenagers and their Holocaust stories, we thought about our hopes and dreams and how different Anne and Elie's dreams were from ours today. We have dreams to grow up and be doctors, fire fighters, businessmen, and various other things. However, Anne and Elie just dreamed that they would survive the Nazi reign and make it out alive. Sometimes we take life for granted and do not realize how lucky we are with the freedoms that we have today."

Center/Sylvester School
Hanover, MA

Susan Bosak was presented with nearly 450 Dream Stars from students in grades 1-4 from two partner schools in Hanover, MA. Reading Specialist Pat Peters wrote a special poem to celebrate Susan's visit. The poem reads in part, "Open your hearts!/These dreams are for you,/They nourish the spirit./We offer you this gift/That our dreams may inspire yours./Share our dreams./These dreams are magic seeds,/We will tend them as we grow./Some will bloom as we picture them today,/Some will grow sturdy like a tree and serve the world,/Some like a poem will lead to a new place./Share our gift./These seeds of dreams/Will cycle through our days,/Becoming what they will/As we are becoming/The people who nurtured our dreams./Listen with your heart."

Highland Goffe's Falls School
Manchester, NH

As Susan Bosak has travelled across the US and Canada, she was struck by the
fact that New Hampshire's official motto
"Live Free or Die" is perhaps the strongest and most memorable of all the US states. The phrase apparently comes from a toast written by General John Stark on July 31, 1809, and boldly speaks to a dream achieved of independence. There are lots of popular culture ties to the motto. Live Free or Die is the title of a 1990 novel by New Hampshire writer Ernest Hebert, and a book by Gardner Goldsmith. On the animated TV series Futurama, the motto of the "Neutral planet" is "Live Free or Don't." "Live Free or Die" is the title of the sixth episode of the sixth season of the TV show The Sopranos. It concerns a character who hides from mobsters in New Hampshire and who at one point stares in sadness at the motto on the license plate. And Live Free or Die Hard is the fourth Die Hard movie, released on June 27, 2007. The movie prints were shipped to cinemas under the name "New Hampshire." It's amazing what you can learn as part of the Dream Chain! Susan was greeted enthusiastically with 525 Dream Stars from students in grades K-5 at Highland Goffe's. Their simple words to Susan: "Keep on Dreaming!"

Memorial School
Bedford, NH

Bedford is a small rural town outside of Manchester, NH. This winter they almost set an impressive record for the most snow ever – over 100 inches! Students shared with Susan Bosak some of the things they enjoyed doing on all their snow days – staying home, building snowmen, and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows. In the summer, it does get hot, but the ocean is only an hour away. In the fall, the days are pleasantly warm and the nights are comfortably cool. What was really cool was the 400 Dream Stars students in grades K-4 contributed to the Dream Chain. "We think that no matter where you are, you probably have some of the same hopes and dreams as we do."

Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School
West Chester, PA

Westtown-Thornbury used Dream as a theme for their school year. Librarian Teresa Finegan knew Susan Bosak's visit was just the thing to bring the book and theme to life for students as they work toward their goals and dreams. All 450 kindergarten through fifth graders created their own Dream Star at the start of the year. The stars have been on display in the school over the last few months. The school created three murals with the Dream Stars to pass along as part of the Dream Chain. Students and teachers shared a simple reminder: "If you work hard and put your mind to it, you can make your dreams come true."

Greenwood Elementary School
Kennett Square, PA

A star-covered bag bursting with over 500 Dream Stars greeted Susan Bosak
when she visited Greenwood School. Greenwood staff and students proudly describe their school: "Greenwood is a great place to learn and to dream and to make friends. One special thing about our school is that we have many Latino students; so you might hear Spanish if you visit us. Another special thing about Greenwood is that we have a beautiful nature trail and a wonderful garden in our courtyard. We love going outside whenever we can. We like to do all kinds of things – not just reading and math and school things.
We like sports, especially baseball. We are musicians; we have a chorus and an orff ensemble. And we are writers – we have our own school newspaper and a little TV station. But most of all, Greenwood students are good friends. We share our dreams with you in a spirit of friendship."

Our Lady Help
of Christians School
Richmond Hill, ON

Susan Bosak arrived at Our Lady Help of Christians to find a large box filled with over 450 Dream Stars from students in K-8. The box was covered in glorious green leaf print paper. That's because the students, parents, and teachers in the school are concerned about the environment and made it one of their focuses this year. "We are trying to find ways to protect the environment by conserving energy. We dream of a world without pollution, where there is clean water and fresh air for all to enjoy. We dream of a healthy future for everyone!"

St. Mary Immaculate School
Richmond Hill, ON

Staff and students at St. Mary Immaculate believe in doing things BIG!
They presented
Susan Bosak with not one but four boxes filled with over 420 Dream Stars – the elementary grades did one box, and the grade 6, 7, 8 students each did a box. "We are thankful to be blessed with so much in our lives – a great school, loving families, and a caring community. We enjoy singing, dancing, acting, performing and learning about the world in which we live. We also care about the environment and our biggest dream is that we will find better ways to look after it. We dream that others in the world will share a healthy environment and enjoy the beauty of our world free from hunger and fear. We dream of a world where all people will know the meaning of peace."

St. Emily School
Woodbridge, ON

Susan Bosak actually visited St. Emily twice! The first time, she had just started her presentation when the school had to go into a lockdown because of an incident in the community. She was impressed by how quickly and efficiently staff and students returned to their classrooms to ensure everyone was safe. Since Dreamers are the people with the courage and creativity to keep going in any situation, everyone agreed that they had to make sure Susan came back. The second visit, even though it took place on a day with record high temperatures, was full of energy and enthusiasm. Students in grades K-8 filled a box with 900 Dream Stars and topped it with a big golden bow. Says Teacher-Librarian Linda D'Andrea, who worked hard to make both visits happen, "Written on each star are our personal goals and dreams. We are a character community. At our character assemblies, we take time to acknowledge and show recognition towards the students who are building character, demonstrating a positive attitude toward others and themselves. We are on our life journey to follow our dreams."

St. Mary School
Nobleton, ON

Teachers at
St. Mary read the Dream book to their classes and each student completed a Dream Star with their goal for the future. They presented Susan Bosak with approximately 350 stars from students in grades 1-8. Staff and students at the school all strive for excellence. "We realize that when we work hard and try our best, we can accomplish so much more. This was most evident this year when our school worked together to win both the cross-country and track and field meets. We wish that all your dreams inspire you to be the best you can be!"

St. Patrick School
Schomberg, ON

Students at St. Patrick are a very creative bunch! First, students strung together 280 Dream Stars to make wreaths Susan Bosak could give the next school in the Dream Chain to hang. Then, students created Dream posters as part of a contest for lunch with the author. Teacher-Librarian Lori Nosad, who organized the visit and judged the contest, said it was a difficult choice because so many of the posters were so wonderfully done. In the end, she chose 15 students from grades 1-8 as the winners for the pizza lunch in the library. Mrs. Nosad also shared a poem written by Donna Levine, "You Can Be Whatever You Want to Be!": "There is inside you/all of the potential/to be whatever you want to be,/all of the energy/to do whatever you want to do./Imagine yourself as you would like to be,/doing what you want to do,/and each day, take one step/towards your dream./And though at times it may seem/too difficult to continue,/hold on to your dream./One morning you will awake to find/that you are the person you dreamed of,/doing what you wanted to do,/simply because you had the courage/to believe in your potential/and to hold on to your dream."

Who will be next in the Dream Chain?