“Tommy and Kelly’s A-Z Adventures of Piqua” is an original story created and illustrated by PHS students. The Service Learning class wanted to create a project for K-3 students in the district that would encourage reading over winter break. The high school students were inspired to create something on their own to distribute to each student enrolled in the K-3 grades once they realized students didn’t have equal access to materials during school closures. Not only will this project allow each K-3 student to have their own story to read over break, they will also be able to color the pages themselves as it doubles as a coloring book.

19 students from the Service Learning class at PHS created the story as well as collected the demographic information on the elementary students to identify this need in the community. Students enrolled in Art 2, Art 3, and AP Art (32 students) are sketching the images featured in the story. From there, 54 students enrolled in the Intro to Design class are working to digitize the materials and convert the entire story into the appropriate file format for publication through Minuteman Press in Piqua.

The story features a young Piqua student named Kelly introducing her cousin Tommy to many of the great features Piqua has to offer its citizens. The two children travel around “Awesome Piqua” visiting various businesses and parks over the course of one weekend. This particular adventure shows the two working through the alphabet while exploring Piqua.

Each letter of the alphabet has meaning to Piqua. For example, J is for Johnston Farm. The coloring page features Tommy and Kelly floating on the canal while exploring the area with dialogue between characters. The coloring book portion of this particular page is attached to the grant in addition to artwork of the main characters.

Students have created a Business Release Form to gain permission from all featured parties prior to publication as well.