Sparta author visits day school

SPARTA-The students at Hilltop Country Day School in Sparta recently had a visit from Dianne Ochiltree. The children's author has written many children's books, including Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins, Pillow Pup and Bart's Amazing Charts. She has visited the school many times before and her visits are always anticipated by the staff and students. During her visit, Ochiltree conducted a poetry-focused writing workshop for first grade students. The children used a seashell as the subject for observation and creative writing during the lesson. The goal was to help the students write a brief, "five senses" oriented, free-form poem on their individual seashell.