Dez is available for whole school storytelling assemblies. (Gr. K-8, up to 900 students) and workshops in writing, illustration, storytelling and diversity by division (up to 200 students per session) Dez also offers Family Literacy Night presentations and PD Teacher workshops. Dez is known for her ability to create on-the-spot improvised stories during her performances.
Fun Fact About Dez's Visit: Dez does not use a microphone when she performs!
Staff Room Talk
"WOW!" The kids really enjoyed Dez's storytelling. Believe me, they are not shy to tell me when they are bored by a visiting author. The little guys and the older Grade 5 students all told me Dez was great." - Geoffrey Shaw, Teacher-Librarian
"Dez is funny, imaginative, and very talented. She relates well to the primary student by appealing to their sense of outrageous humour. At the same time she teachers the ABC's of being a children's illustrator/author." - K Hartling, Gr. 1 Teacher
"Great one-on-one interaction with the students during the workshop. Seeing Dez's illustrations is a real motivator for students." - Liz Wylie, Gr. 4 Teacher
"Great Show! Her energy is amazing. I love the way she interacts with kids- she's on their level." -Shelley Scribner, Principal
"Exciting and Motivating! Students were enthralled by her enchanting stories. She models creativity . . . Every opportunity for creative expression is welcomed. We don't get enough of it." - Kevin McPhee, Gr. 8 Teacher
"She holds students' attention throughout. She gears to expectations of curriculum. WELL DONE!" - Bertha Green, Literacy Teacher
"Dez's enthusiasm for literature is shown by her involvement with her audience." - J. Hill, Gr. 5 Teacher
"Such an excellent performance. In 22 years of teaching, Dez's storytelling session was the best I have ever seen. The students were absolutely thrilled and so were the teachers." - Sara Flohil-Purves, Vice Principal
"Dez has a wonderful amount of energy and spoke about concepts not necessarily covered in primary grades (idioms), which is great because it provides ideas for our writers that they may not be aware of." - Jeff Pfoni, Gr. 3.4 Teacher
"What a high voltage presentation! Children loved it. I saw more output from some kids in one hour than some have given in the last month. EXCELLENT!" - Julie Daly, Gr. 6 Teacher
"Dez brought an infectious love of literacy to our school. Our students left the presentation full of questions and eager for more." - Chris Coyle, Vice-Principal
"The kids absolutely loved Dez and the grade 8 teacher came to me the next day to say how much his class talked about Dez . . . All good of course! Parents have all said the kids were excited when they got home too. Dez worked her magic again." - Kim Lyons, Parent Home & School Assoc.
"THANK YOU! WOW, what a fantastic performance. The students, parents and staff love it! Please don't retire yet." - Kelli Spurrell, Teacher-Librarian
ADDITIONAL REFERRALS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST . . . INCLUDING ONE FROM MY MOMMY!