As so often happens I was invited to speak at Irving Elementary just as the students were arriving for the start of a new school day. The excitement was abuzz because "an author" was scheduled to speak in the morning.

Mrs. Moldenhauer met me at the gymnasium and already had the school's janitor set to help me with the boxes of books the students had purchased. The gym's bleachers were filled and Mr. Maloney - "Joe the principal" - (sorry couldn't resist) arrived in his Maddux Cubs uniform. Of course, Joe figured out quickly I was a die-hard Reds' fan and with him being a Cubbie's fan we had several stories to share of our two favorite teams who hadn't seen a pennant in many . . . many years.

I was met by jubilant kindergartners whose dreams of becoming horseback riders, wearing golden shoes, and "morphing" into birds hit the older students like a cheering wave at the ballpark. By the time I got to the second grade students so they could confess their dreams, they were so excited that they nearly leaped to the front of the stage. Of course their dreams were more like their idols things like football, basketball players, and dreams of being singers/actors.

The 3-5 grades enjoyed the fishing at Creeper's Pond story and many brave souls stood up to volunteer to put their hand in the bag with what they believed was Creeper's glass eye. We certainly had our share of fun and it was because Mr. Maloney is a principal who puts the interest of his students first. I believe this is why these students were so respectful and easily approachable.

As a speaker/writer I can confess that Irving is a school I'd have enjoyed attending because creativity is fostered each and every day. I left Irving like a skipping Leprochaun who had just found his potful of gold.