BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 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 \u2014 and the finished books will soon be donated to children in local hospitals.<\/p>\n
Hunter Kootstra, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said he didn’t expect her story to be chosen for illustration.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
For the elementary students whose stories were selected, the experience was a memorable one.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“When I saw how it looked, it looked exactly how it looked in my mind,” Lorelei, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said.<\/p>\n
“I just really liked it in general. It reminded me of like old Disney,” Sofia, a sixth grader at Discovery Elementary, said.<\/p>\n
On the high school side, student artists were given creative freedom to interpret each story in their own way.<\/p>\n
“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?”<\/p>\n
Teachers say the collaboration brings both creativity and real-world experience into the classroom.<\/p>\n
“And bring characters to life that our fabulous Discovery students have written about,” Yvette Stockton, an art teacher at Centennial High School, said.<\/p>\n
“Getting creative. Trying to envision what this might look like in the end,” Melissa Arvizu, a sixth-grade teacher at Discovery Elementary, said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“To now choose another kids\u2026 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.”<\/p>\n
The students say they hope the books bring comfort to the children who receive them.<\/p>\n
“They might be going through some hard times in their life, so I hope this brings them some joy,” Lorelei said.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“Because spreading kindness is a good thing,” Kootstra said.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
For the students involved, the project was about more than a classroom assignment; it was about connection and giving back.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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