David Starr is the principal of one of the most diverse elementary schools in Canada. The students at Edmonds Community School in Burnaby, BC come from all over the world -- Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, El Salvador, and many other places. Their parents are often refugees who have overcome harrowing events and circumstances in order to find safety in Canada. And like them, their children have often escaped war zones and witnessed horrific events before finally landing at the school.
In From Bombs to Books, David Starr shares the deeply moving stories of his students, their parents, and the staff at Edmonds who support them. He describes the upheavals many of these families have undergone and how they managed to flee some of the most dangerous lands and people on earth. He paints portraits of students who are often troubled by what they have experienced, but just as often they are of surprisingly happy and normal children who have put their families' grief and trauma behind them. He also describes teachers and social workers who have embraced these families and dedicated themselves to making a difference in their lives.
Sometimes funny, sometimes touching and inspirational, From Bombs to Books shares the remarkable stories of the children, the families, and the staff at an exceptional Canadian school.
In From Bombs to Books Edmonds School principal, David Starr, shares the deeply moving stories of his students, their parents and the staff at Edmonds who support them. He describes the upheaval many of these families have undergone and how they managed to flee some of the most dangerous lands and people on earth.
He paints portraits of students who are often troubled by what they have experienced but who are surprisingly happy, normal children who have put their family's grief and trauma behind them. He also describes teachers and social workers who have embraced these families and dedicated themselves to making a difference in their lives.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank Principal David Starr for writing his first book about the challenges faced by refugee students, their parents and teachers in an inner city school.
- Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds Hansard Transcript
"..a very powerful book about courage, survival and belonging."
- Byrne Creek Community School Blog
DAVID STARR has been the principal at Edmonds Community School, a kindergarten to Grade 8 school in Burnaby, BC, for three years. He is also a writer who won the 2008 Vancouver Province's "Serial Thriller" competition. David Starr, his students, and his staff at Edmonds have been featured in Now News, The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province, the Globe and Mail, and on CBC Radio and Global News.
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