NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

June 26, 2009

For More Information Contact:

Joanne Fletcher

E-mail: jfletcher@fletcherhouse.com

Fletcher House

Cottonwood Summer Approved as Textbook for Owosso High School and Lincoln High School

On Monday, June 22, 2009, Owosso’s Board of Education approved a plan for making Cottonwood Summer an official U. S. History textbook for ninth-graders in Owosso High School and the county-wide Lincoln High School beginning in the fall of 2009.

Cottonwood Summer is the first of four Cottonwood novels by Owosso native Gary Slaughter. The stories are set in Riverton, Michigan, a fictionalized version of Owosso. This series spans the four seasons of the last year of World War II beginning with the D-Day invasion in early summer of 1944 and ending with V.E. Day, the surrender of Germany, in late spring of 1945.

The agreement between Slaughter and the Owosso Public School District (OPS) calls for him to donate a personal soft-cover copy of Cottonwood Summer to each member of incoming ninth-grade class of approximately 300 students. A copy will be inscribed to each student and autographed by the author. After the year’s use as a textbook, this first class of ninth-grade students will keep their copies of the book.

In addition, Slaughter will donate 300 hard-cover Cottonwood Summer books to OPS for the use of incoming ninth-grade classes in 2010 through 2019. Slaughter will also donate 50 hard-cover copies of Cottonwood Fall, of Cottonwood Winter, and of Cottonwood Spring to OPS for establishing a 30-Cottonwood book reference library in each of the five social studies classrooms at the high schools.

The teachers will utilize a study guide developed by Joanne Slaughter, wife of the author. The guide will serve as a springboard for students to obtain a greater understanding of their community history, as well as Michigan and American history during the World War II era. The guide comprises four parts including Study Guide Questions, Additional Study Guide Questions, Individual or Group Enrichment Activities, and Community Outreach.

Slaughter will visit the schools in the early fall to address the students and to sign their books. At that time, he will also meet with Kevin Moore, Chair of the Social Studies Department and his department members. 

When asked to comment, Slaughter stated, “Joanne and I have worked with Greg Gray (former OPS superintendent) and Susan Wooten (interim OPS superintendent and curriculum director) on this project for nearly four years. We had to ensure the addition of Cottonwood Summer to the curriculum maintained its alignment with the Michigan Department of Education’s Michigan Merit Curriculum and the High School Social Studies Organizational Chart. This was no small task, especially for Susan.

“Once this was accomplished, we were fortunate to win the approval of the members of the District of Excellence Council and finally the Board of Education. I can’t tell you how grateful we are for their commitment to this project which allows us to present this gift to Owosso’s ninth-graders and their teachers. Cottonwood fans will understand when I say this is a proud day for old Jase.”