Billie Kapp, a first-grade teacher at Coventry Grammar School in Coventry, believes that the most important thing she can give her students is "a love for reading and the ability to see books as treasures that offer enjoyment and knowledge." To encourage her students' reading, Mrs. Kapp developed "Book Contract," a reading program that includes family home reading activities, a "Bedtime Story Party" event and a "Book Picnic." The program's success has achieved media attention and has led to its implementation in other schools. In her capacity as program director for the Connecticut Geographic Alliance, she has conducted numerous workshops, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to San Francisco, on interdisciplinary approaches to the instruction of geography, science and poetry. Mrs. Kapp's creative efforts in the classroom have made her a two-time recipient of the Connecticut State Department of Education's Celebration of Excellence Award.
