February 2, 2004

Dear Parent/Guardian:

The Ocean City High School Social Studies Department is embarking upon a school-wide project and we would like your help. Throughout the country many groups have participated in community wide reading programs called “One Book” projects. The “One Book” reading projects were initiated in 1998 by the Washington Center for the Book and were introduced across the US and Canada. The original “One City, One Book” projects have been enormously successful in many cities across the country, including Philadelphia, Princeton, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Buffalo. The idea of the original project was to bring people together to discuss literature and important issues. There are even statewide programs including “One Book New Jersey.” (Information about all of these programs is available on the Internet at http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/one-book.html.

The Social Studies Department is attempting a “One School, One Book” reading project. With the help of the Board of Education, and a mini grant from the Ocean City Foundation for Educational Excellence and donations we have been able to purchase 200 copies of the book Profiles in Courage for our Time, edited by Caroline Kennedy. I have received permission from the publisher to photocopy one of the stories in this book, that of Congressman John Lewis, by Pulitzer Prize winning author Teresa Carpenter. Thus, every student who is in a social studies class at Ocean City High School will receive either a copy of the book or a copy of the story about John Lewis. Our goal is the same as the goal of the original program, that is to have all students discuss a story and an important issue.

All of the individuals are included in Profiles in Courage for Our Time, were included because they have won the Profile in Courage Award that annually recognizes “the legacy of individual courage in the pursuit of justice,” and all the recipients have “served their country by taking a stand in the face of public opinion or political pressure (from back cover of Profiles in Courage for Our Time.)” Publisher’s Weekly considers all the stories inspirational and a “stirring look at people who rarely thought about what they could do for themselves, but always about what they could do for their country.” The American Library Association writes that this book is a “celebration of modern political bravery.” When presenting John Lewis with his Profiles in Courage Award, Caroline Kennedy stated that he received it “not for a simple act, but for a lifetime of courage, not for a moment of bravery, but a career of conscience….he has walked with the wind, each act of courage a footstep in our long journey toward a ‘Beloved Community.’ ”

Please become a part of our “One School, One Book” project by asking your child about the book, or by reading his or her copy of the John Lewis story. (You might want to get a copy of the book from the local library or bookstore.) In addition to discussing this story in social studies classes, we are in the process of planning related events, including a book discussion evening in the Ocean City High School Library/Media Center on Thursday, February 26, at 7:00PM. Additional information will be available.

Sincerely,

Ida R. Margolis
Social Studies Department Supervisor