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Sandy Creek Central School District

Sandy Creek Central School District

Sandy Creek students connect with author Mikaelsen via distance learning

Students in the class hold autographed copies of the book, “Touching Spirit Bear,” by Ben Mikaelsen. The students connected with the author via distance learning connection at their school.
Students in the class hold autographed copies of the book, “Touching Spirit Bear,” by Ben Mikaelsen. The students connected with the author via distance learning connection at their school.
April 22nd, 2019 by Lani Camp, Public Relations

English students in Susan Gafners middle school class in the Sandy Creek Central School District are reading a book entitled: Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. Through the schools distance learning lab, they were able to meet with Mr. Mikaelsen and learn about his process in writing, what inspired him to write his books and about the bear, Buffy, that Mikaelsen raised from a cub in his home in the state of Washington for 27 years.

The students were excited to connect with the author and had prepared a series of questions for the author prior to their connection.

In their connection with Mikaelsen, he shared personal insights into his life which he said made its way into many of his characters including Cole, the central figure in the story the students are reading. At some point or another in his life, Mikaelsen said every part of his life is incorporated into the character, including the younger, angry Mikaelsen.

In reading about the spirit bear, the students have learned that a spirit bear is a rare subspecies of the black bear which possesses a single mutant recessive gene that causes their unusual coloring. Their hair is nearly white, but they are not albino, their hair and eyes have pigment coloring, a trait which is lacking in albino animals. Found only in British Columbia, Canada, the spirit bear is believed to have a spiritual connection with the person that touches it.

Mikaelsen also shared information about another bear with which he had a special connection: Buffy. Mikaelsen raised Buffy, a black bear, from the time he was a small cub until at 27 when he weighed 750 pounds. Buffy passed away in 2012 but his impact on Mikaelsens life and family will always remain.

The students shared that through the connection they felt more excited to continue to read the book and look forward to reading more books by the author.


Gallery

Author Ben Mikaelsen holds a picture of the spirit bear he was lucky enough to see and photograph while traveling in British Columbia.
Author Ben Mikaelsen holds a picture of the spirit bear he was lucky enough to see and photograph while traveling in British Columbia.