The 4th Annual CSF Spelling Bee
co-sponsored by the Arts & Technology Education Fund
November 5, 2009
7:00 pm
at the Radisson Hotel, Chelmsford, MA
WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!
Masters of Ceremony - Peter and Paul Reynolds
Peter H. Reynolds is on a mission. The New York Times best-selling Author-Illustrator and advocate for “off the path” learners is dedicated to crafting stories, media and technology that challenge children and grown-up children around the world to reach their full potential.
Peter has made his mark in many ways, including founding FableVision with his identical twin brother Paul. FableVision, an educational media developer and publisher, creates innovative learning software and interactive media. FableVision has partnered with the “best of the best” in children’s educational media, including PBS, the Jim Henson Company, Scholastic, MIT’s Education Arcade, and the National Academy of Sciences, to create award-winning websites, animation, books, and online games.
FableVision’s original software products include Stationery Studio, Get A Clue, and the internationally acclaimed BrainCogs and Essay Express, as well as Peter H. Reynolds’ Animation-ish (www.animation-ish.com), an easy-to use animation program that has garnered numerous awards and accolades from parenting and educational publications.
Peter’s cornerstone books about protecting and nurturing the creative spirit, The Dot and Ish, have been translated into many languages and have won numerous honors and awards. The film versions of the books landed the Carnegie Medal of Excellence and the American Library Association’s 2006 Notable Children's Videos Honors. His cornerstone book The North Star has inspired "children of all ages" around the world as a book, a curriculum, and a musical and stage adaptation.
Someday and the Judy Moody series, books illustrated by Peter, were on the New York Times Best Seller Children's List for several months, as was the 35th Anniversary edition of the classic book Free to be You and Me by Marlo Thomas and Friends, which Peter helped redesign and illustrate.
Most recently we saw the release of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The North Star from Candlewick Press, as well as Rose’s Garden, a book dedicated to Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy that celebrates the spirit of community, the beauty of nature, and the power of faith and imagination, with a quote from the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
In 2007, Peter received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his undergraduate alma mater, Fitchburg State College, in recognition of his “substantial contributions to education and the arts.” He was named Verizon Literacy Champion in 2008 for his tireless efforts in promoting reading, writing and self-expression, and was chosen to host the LINK-live Presidential Inaugural Gala, focused on the theme of “technology serving humanity,” part of President Barack Obama’s Inaugural celebration.
Much of Peter's spare time is spent giving back to the community—revitalizing the businesses in his beloved town, Dedham, MA, supporting schools, and serving on the board of several non-profit organizations, such as Horizons for the Homeless and Everybody Wins Metro Boston.
Paul Reynolds, Peter’s twin brother, has built several successful media
companies that serve children and adults. He founded and managed Cosmic
Blender, an adult eLearning firm, for eighteen years. At FableVision, Paul
provides creative strategy and branding development for our award-winning
products and projects, which include web, CD-ROM, kiosk, broadcast, film,
books, and classroom products.
With expertise in designing and funding social-purpose business enterprises,
Paul has raised over a half-million dollars of state and federal funds for the
Research Institute of Learning & Development’s BrainCogs educational software
series, which FableVision produced, publishes and distributes worldwide. Under
Paul’s leadership, FableVision has received many industry awards, including most
recently the 2008 Editor's Choice Award from Children's Software Review,
2008 NAPPA Gold Award from National Parenting Publications, 2006
ALA/ACLS Notable Software Honors, a 2006 Parents Choice Award, and the
2005 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Media.
Paul has been a faculty member in Boston College’s undergraduate
Communication Department since 1989, as a “learning leader” in broadcast
writing, digital nonlinear editing, studio television production, and television field
production. Paul recently received a Master’s degree in educational technology
from Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
Paul is very civic minded and in addition to working with the Boy Scouts, his local parish, he serves as Selectman for the town of Dedham.
The Chelmsford Schools Foundation is a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to generating resources to support, promote and help fund the best learning environment possible for the Chelmsford Public Schools.