(St. Paul, MN, March 16, 2019)— Award-winning independent publisher Elva Resa Publishing is honored to share the news that its book Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers by Amanda Trimillos and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman has been named a finalist in the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award™ program.
The Benjamin Franklin Award™ for excellence in book publishing is regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers, presented by Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the largest not-for-profit trade association of independent publishers.
Each year, publishers submit their best books for consideration. The judging process, involving more than 150 librarians, booksellers, and book industry experts, takes place over seven months, from September through March.
All award finalists meet a distinguished set of criteria, including exceptional content and design, judged individually against publishing industry standards as well as compared to other books published in the same year.
Seasons of My Military Student was selected as one of three finalists in the Education category. Elva Resa’s publisher, Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito, and senior editor, Terri Barnes, will attend the awards dinner at IBPA’s Publishing University in Chicago, Friday, April 5, 2019. One gold winner will be announced for each category. The remaining finalists will receive silver awards. Elva Resa has received two Benjamin Franklin Award silver honors in the past, for its middle-grade books Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest, and The Spy With a Wooden Leg.
The Seasons of My Military Student project was initiated by Elva Resa in response to a growing need for resources to address the complex and emotional challenges school-aged children in mobile military families experience as they transition from school to school.
Active duty military families move frequently, and children in those families change schools as many as nine times from preschool to high school graduation. With each move, students adjust to different curriculum, meet new teachers, adapt to new learning environments, and develop new friendships, all amid other military life challenges, such as a parent’s deployment.
“The critical support system for most military-connected students includes their parents, school teachers, coaches, and other adults actively involved in their lives,” explains Pavlicin-Fragnito. “Our goal with this project was to hand these adults very practical strategies and tools to understand the complexities of each transition and effectively support their military-connected students.”
Pavlicin-Fragnito hand-selected the authors and team members for the project. “This book would not be what it is without the vision and expertise of everyone on the team,” she says. “Each person was chosen specifically for her education expertise, enthusiasm for supporting military families, and obvious passion for advocating on behalf of military kids.”
Among key contributor credits, the publisher notes, “Coauthor Amanda Trimillos brought to the table years of hands-on classroom experience teaching military kids, as well as important research. Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman added practical experience creating education binders and advocating for military kids. Both authors are military spouses and moms, and have experienced many deployments, moves, and other challenges of military life (including deployments and cross-ocean moves while writing this book!). Our senior editor, Terri Barnes, worked with both authors to merge two very different voices and writing styles. Our designer, Brenda Harris, added really fun imagery, soaked with meaning.”
Pavlicin-Fragnito adds, “This award is a satisfying recognition of an outstanding collaboration, keeping our focus on the end goal of supporting military-connected kids by enabling the adults in their lives.”
About the Book
Seasons of My Military Student is a user-friendly guide for parents and educators, offering strategies and tools for supporting military-connected students as they transition from school to school.
Unique to this book is the concept of the Seasons of TransitionTM, a cycle students experience as they move away from one community and transition into a new school environment. The book outlines practical ways to meet the emotional, academic, and logistical challenges each season presents.
The book’s strategies center on three primary tools: an understanding of how the challenges of military life impact a student’s education, employing key provisions of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, and the creation of a Seasons Education Binder as a consistent, portable record of a student’s progress. These tools, when used by a strong student-advocacy team, provide continuity for the student, both personally and academically.
Book Features:
- Overview of military life challenges that impact a student’s education
- Student-advocacy team-building suggestions
- Summary of key provisions of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
- Ideas and instructions for creating and using a portable Seasons Education Binder
- Callout boxes with conversation starters, resources, and ready-to-use tips
- Narratives with students’ personal experiences and teacher and parent perspectives
- Chapter devoted to “storms in any season”—separations, deployment, combat injury, loss
Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers is available at MilitaryFamilyBooks.com and other booksellers.
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ELVA RESA PUBLISHING LLC is an independent publisher based in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a mission to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Its primary imprint specializes in books for and about military families. ElvaResa.com, MilitaryFamilyBooks.com
MEDIA: Please contact Elva Resa PR at 651-357-8770 or pr[@]elvaresa.com.
Additional Resources
Website: SeasonsofMyMilitaryStudent.com
Facebook: /SeasonsofMyMilitaryStudent
Facebook closed group: Seasons of My Military Student Parent & Teacher Group K-12
Twitter: @SeasonsofMilkid
Instagram: @SeasonsofMyMilitaryStudent
#SeasonsofMyMilitaryStudent
Title: Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers
Authors: Amanda Trimillos and Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman
Publisher: Elva Resa Publishing
Publication Date: June 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-934617-42-7
Format: 7.38″ x 9″ Paperback, 112 pages
Retail Price: $19.95
Seasons of My Military Student equips parents, teachers, school counselors, administrators, and other educators to work together to create successful transitions for military-connected students.
More information and cover images: ElvaResa.com/book/seasons-military-student