March, 2010

Dear Families,

In celebration of Women's History Month, I have selected the book Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings with pictures by Terry Widener as the Principal's Book of the Month. The book is inspired by the life story of baseball pioneer Alta Weiss. Girl Wonder is the riveting story of one courageous, talented young woman who pitched for a semipro all-male team called the Vermilion Independents. The next season, her father became co-owner of the team, and it was renamed the Weiss All-Stars. Alta later became a doctor, the only woman in her class. This is an inspirational story of a woman who despite what her friends and coach said about her, reached her goals.

By the time I was seventeen
I'd struck out every boy in town.
"You're almost a lady," said my friends.
"Isn't it time you quit playing games?"
"Quit? I cried. "I haven't even started!"

Since one of our school wide goals is literacy improvement with a focus on nonfiction, point out the time line of women's participation in baseball at the back of the book to your children.

Happy reading!


Sincerely,
Valerie Capitulo
Principal