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Foundation’s President Introduces Award-Winning Author at St. Simons School


Stuttering Foundation President Jane Fraser had the honor of introducing author Vince Vawter at an assembly at Frederica Academy, St. Simons Island, Ga., this fall for a presentation about his book Paperboy. The book was a Newbery Medal Honor Book in 2014 and has received numerous accolades in the three years since


its publication. Vawter was honored by the Stuttering Foundation that year at its National Stuttering Awareness Week Gala in New York City.


inspiration to thousands of young people who struggle with stuttering every day,” said Fraser.


As part of Vawter’s visit, students were assigned to write papers about the novel, and were then treated to the opportunity to meet the author himself and hear about his life experiences. Nikki Walbridge, a teacher at the school, chose Paperboy as both a school-wide summer reading assignment and a faculty-wide recommendation because the subject matter seemed to be a perfect fit for her school community. “Paperboy perfectly addresses the challenge children


face in any adverse situation, and the book made overcoming those challenges truly accessible to middle schoolers,” she said.


“Vince and his wife spent the day with each individual English class and gave them the opportunity to ask questions, the tough questions, about stuttering and adversity,” said Walbridge. “Vince answered every single one of them. It was such a human experience.”


“Vince’s work is such an


Walbridge said Vawter’s approach to coming to terms with his stuttering, like any challenge, was something to which the entire school could relate. “A speech impediment is like an arm or a leg. For many, it’s a seamless part of that person. It doesn’t define them, but it’s there.”


“As an English teacher and educator, my day with Vince was one of the most professionally rewarding days of my career,” said Walbridge. We’re sure the students loved it too.


Pictured at top, left to right: Vawter speaking with St. Simons students, Vince Vawter and SFA President Jane Fraser; autographing Paperboy Books


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