Teacher Kara Raap
publishes novel
POSTED: JANUARY 25,2011
 Carly
Sage has crossed the threshold into sixth grade at Hamilton
Bicentennial Elementary School. But you won’t find the
11-year-old on any class roster. She’s the inspirational
character in the coming-of-age novel written by Port Jervis
elementary teacher Kara Raap.
The Adventures of Carly Sage is the story of a small town
girl, who learns much about herself and her classmates as she
struggles through the ups and downs of adolescence and overcomes
a difficult situation.
Raap says she wanted to give her students a story that was
inspirational, taught valuable lessons, and resonated with their
own lives. She created a story that young readers can relate to
by basing Carly’s adventures on real life experiences. While the
novel is pure fiction, many of the characters were inspired by
students Raap has had in her class at the real Hamilton
Bicentennial Elementary School over the past 12 years.
“I always tell my students to write about personal experiences,”
explained Raap, who holds an elementary education degree from
SUNY Oneonta with a concentration in English. Passionate about
writing, Raap is always looking for new ways to encourage her
fifth graders to write and hone their skills. In addition to
writing short stories and poems, every student in her class
writes a story that is “published” as a hardcover book at the
end of the school year.
Her students also had the unique opportunity to see their
teacher’s first book go to print. A labor of love, it took Raap
nearly a decade to complete the 112-page novel. Much of the work
was completed over the summers or when she found time between
teaching, chairing the HBE Character Education Committee,
pursuing a certification in educational administration, and
raising two children with her husband.
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