Out of over 100 proposals, 11 books were chosen for publication in this year’s cohort, including Moravian Academy's Kaitlyn Lee '23 and Nabeel Rifai '23.

Over the course of the 2020-21 school year, students from across nearly 300 schools around the world were given the opportunity to submit manuscripts and illustrations of original bilingual children’s books, either in Spanish and English or French and English.

Kaitlyn Lee '23 and Nabeel Rifai '23 and their books were selected from roughly 100 submissions, and the students have begun the process of working with the publisher, Creo En Ti Media, to prepare their manuscripts for publication, a process that will continue through next school year. Kaitlyn's book is titled Le Premier Chuseok de Mlle Lapin (Ms. Rabbit’s First Chuseok) and Nabeel's book is titled Le Lion Qui A Perdu Ses Griffes (The Lion Who Lost His Claws).

I am so incredibly proud of the work that Kaitlyn and Nabeel did. First of all, the texts of the children's books they wrote for the written portion of their French 3 final project were amazing.

Kaitlyn's is about animals living in a South Korean forest who celebrate Chuseok, a holiday similar to Thanksgiving, and Nabeel's is about animals who learn that they are not defined by their gifts or their physical traits, but rather by their personalities and how they treat others.

The fact that two MA students had their book ideas accepted for publication is a testament to their hard work, their creativity, and our French program. I love the fact that the publishers consider this a learning journey and that Kaitlyn and Nabeel will continue to edit and refine their books with the cohort of chosen authors. I cannot wait to hear about the process and see the finished product next year!

The published works will be shared with communities across the U.S. and abroad, including with partner organizations in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The books will be available for purchase at all major online booksellers like Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, and students retain the copyright and earn royalties off of the sales of their books. We are delighted to congratulate these students and are looking forward to sharing their work within our school community and with our partners near and far.

The program was organized by the Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG), a non-profit association of schools with global education programs, in partnership with Creo En Ti Media.

About GEBG
The Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG) is a leading organization of K-12 schools that researches and establishes best practices in the field of global education and prepares students to thrive in increasingly interconnected world systems.

The GEBG supports member schools through a myriad of benefits including in-depth professional development, collaborative student and faculty travel, discounted travel assistance and insurance, curricular development, conferences, institutional evaluations and endorsement, resource library and a supportive network of member schools. These initiatives help schools establish structures and programs that enable students to develop the knowledge, skills, and empathic orientation required of global citizens.


About Creo En Ti
Creo En Ti is a Spanish phrase which means “I believe in you.” This project began in an AP Spanish class at Northern High School in South Central Pennsylvania as a student-centered, bilingual literacy project designed to promote early childhood literacy. It developed into a cross-curricular endeavor combining art and foreign language content areas. This project created an opportunity for outstanding student work to be published and available to children and educators. Creo En Ti Media strives to give parents and educators the tools to spark an interest in language learning at a young age.