St. Alban’s Young Authors

In a colorfully decorated classroom surrounded by smiling faces, Dr. Franklin Sands proudly hands a small book to six young students.

“This is the book you produced and you authored,” Sands says. “You’re going to keep on writing great books, right?”

This book, called Spider-man Saves The Day, was created last spring by Jayden Knowles, DáRon Everett, Sahsa Villareyna, Josselyn Fuentes, Christopher Francis and Jade Izaula, students of St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center in the West Grove, which Sands oversees.

The children, all between four and five years old, worked with Arts to Literacy founders Joseph Grant and Mary McBeth. The pair recently moved from New York to Miami to expand their literacy project for low-income communities.

According to McBeth, Arts to Literacy is a program designed to help young artists learn how to express themselves. Grant created the program to bridge the gap between academia and art, and to help young artists identify and refine their skills. They met Dr. Sands at the Gifford Lane Art Stroll in March where they decided to embark on this project.

Grant and McBeth, who usually work with high school and middle school students, said the children at St. Alban’s were the youngest they had ever worked with and they were excited to see them through the project.

“If these kids can get together to write this book, they can go on to do anything they want to do,” Grant said.

In two and a half weeks, the children wrote and illustrated Spider-man. The story is about a group of kittens stuck in a house. Spiderman flies in to rescue them when he encounters an evil crocodile who threatens frogs, turtles, a princess and a platypus.

“The book may not mean a whole lot to you and me, but it means a whole lot to them,” Grant said.

The kids were excited and proud of the work they had done.

When asked about her favorite part, Sasha said, “I wrote my name!”

Gabriela Suazo, Jade’s mother, volunteered on the Arts to Literacy project and helped her daughter and the other children lay the groundwork for Spider-man.

“I was able to work with [Jade] on some of the writing,” Suazo said in Spanish. “I saw that she stopped being as shy and grew more responsible. Now she thinks she’s an artist. I’m very happy that my daughter is involved in St. Alban’s. The school has helped her a lot.”

Lead teacher Daviann Morais has seen parents like Suazo get involved in St. Alban’s and has noticed the impact it has on the children.

“I can’t express how important it is for parents to be involved in their children’s learning,” Morais said. “When they learn something at school and see their parents reinforce it at home it helps a lot.”

The authors of “Spider-man Saves the Day” graduated from St. Alban’s on May 27th and will go on to public schools like George Washington Carver Elementary and Francis S. Tucker Elementary.

“I feel like they’re ready and they’re not going to face any problems when they go to public school,” said lead teacher Betty Ford. “What they’re doing is very good. I feel like they are doing very well.”

“Spider-man Saves the Day” is now on sale for $5 at St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center, 3465 Brooker Street. Since its incorporation in 1949, St. Alban’s has provided children in Coconut Grove and the surrounding community the skills necessary to succeed in elementary school and beyond. The school is part of the Head Start and the Early Reading First programs sanctioned by the United Stated Department of Health and Human Services. Students attend the school at no cost, receive two meals and one snack per day, and also participate in various health screenings. The staff also counsels parents on how to provide the best education and health care possible for their children. For more information phone 305-443-1234.