NJ elementary school students become published authors for 2nd time
RUNNEMEADE, N.J. (CBS) -- What was your greatest accomplishment in first grade? For one group of students in Runnemede, it's becoming a published author, twice.
Students in Christina Ayusa's first grade class at Bingham Elementary School researched, wrote and published the book titled "Down Deep."
Page after page in the book explores sea creatures both big and small.
"I was pretty excited," said Luke Cochran about seeing his name in black and white.
Luke along with nearly two dozen classmates are the book's authors.
"We talk about the publishing process of making the book... going through drafts, brainstorming," Ayusa said. "My goal was to somehow make it be fun for them. Let's find something we can use to encourage and motivate them to want to be writers."
The book really pops! Besides their drawings, each page also contains a QR code.
A quick point and click will take you to the student's artwork where they bring a sea creature to life using their voice.
"I was really happy because when Ms. Ayusa said you can videotape it, my mom was really happy," first grader Gabby Currey said.
"Down Deep" is actually the second book this class has published this school year.
The first book titled "The Best Parts of Us" is all about self-love.
Ayusa has quite the collection of books at this point. She's been doing this project for nearly 10 years.
"Tears. Happy tears," Ayusa said. "I will never forget that moment one year. A kid just opened it and just the look of pure happiness, joy."
For Ayusa, teaching at Bingham is a full circle moment. She grew up in Runnemede and attended Bingham herself.
"It was the first place I got hired," she said, "and now, I'm teaching in the very same classroom that I was in first grade in."