Comments for A Haunted Christmas!

"Chad encouraged reading in a positive way by citing examples of his own reading in the past and present.  He also shared summaries of short stories and left students in suspense as to the ending of each one.  He shared passages from "A Christmas Carol" with students to create suspense.  My favorite part of the show was when he performed the illusion of the bells ringing.  It was interesting and related directly to the passage we had read recently in "A Christmas Carol."  I would definitely recommend Chad to other educators.  He was engaging, amusing, interesting, a little scary, and very well informed about his subject!  Many of my students are printing and downloading the short stories mentioned in the presentation.  They have already read several and are discussing and sharing them in class.  We all loved it - students and teachers!"  Dorothy Jackson, ELA Teacher, Riverside Middle

"The way Chad introduced the scary stories and talked about them was very engaging and enticing to the students.  My favorite part was when he read the part of "A Christmas Carol" and told the three students to stand up if they felt a touch.  Their facial expressions were priceless!  Having students come up and be part of the presentation was my favorite part.  I would absolutely recommend the show to other educators - it was the perfect concluding activity for our "Christmas Carol" study.  The students were engaged and very attentive the entire show!"  Kristi Mathis, ELA Teacher, Riverside Middle

  "Our students were hooked with the "teasers" of the ghost stories, and we had many ask to be put on hold for the books you mentioned.  I would definitely recommend the show to other teachers and librarians.  It was engaging, had a lot of fresh content, and amazing new tricks!  Several students went ahead and downloaded the stories on their phones.  As always, Chad was the consummate professional, he engaged and inspired the students, and we enjoyed having him!"  Gaelyn Jenkins, Media Specialist, Riverside Middle

"The way you explained the scary stories and left the children hanging was perfect.  I had students return to the classroom and immediately download the books on their devices.  I would absolutely recommend the show.  The students were very engaged and it fit perfectly with our unit.  Many students wanted to know where they can get the books - it was great!"  Ms. Young, ELA Teacher, Riverside Middle

"You were able to get students attention with quotes from various books/stories and interactive illusions.  I think your use of students volunteers is effective in getting them involved in the stories.  You then left them wanting more of the stories by withholding the endings.  This will encourage them to read the stories for themselves.  My favorite part was the illusion where all 3 student volunteers stood up simultaneously after hearing the quote from "A Christmas Carol."  This is a great opportunity to have a field trip without leaving the school building.  The program engages the students with literature in an unexpected way - great show!"  Leigh-Ann Hunt, Media Specialist, Ashworth Middle

"What a wonderful new show by Chad Crews!  "A Haunted Christmas" was engaging for our students and highlighted authors with which they were not familiar.  The day after the show, all six copies of "A Christmas Carol" were checked out and there is a student waiting list for our one copy of M.R. James' short stories!  Even our magic books have seen a resurgence in popularity.  The addition of Midnight Syndicate's musical score made the show that much more special, as does Chad's authentic costuming.  This is is a uniquely creative way of exploring ghost stories with students...it does not disappoint!  I have been delighted to host Chad in our library the last two years and the students are always asking when he will return.  Teachers have been pleased with the performances and have requested that we continue to have chad come back time and again.  Of all the things I've added to our library program, this is by far the one that has resulted in high book circulation numbers and requests for related titles!  I would highly recommend this show (and frequently DO recommend it) to other library media specialists!  Thanks again Chad for all you do!"  Leigha Burnham, Media Specialist, Gordon Central High

  "The show completely encouraged reading in a positive and entertaining way!  One of our teachers told me that the students hurried to their lockers after the show to grab their "A Christmas Carol" books to look up the quotes that you talked about in the show.  We also had a least 20 kids stop by the media center today to see if we had the "Casting Runes and Other Ghost Stories" book ready for check out.  One of the teachers commented that they had many reluctant readers trying to find a way to get a copy of the Casting Runes book for the weekend.  The students loved the part of the show where the volunteers get touched.  They are completely convinced that it must be the ghost of Charles Dickens!  I would totally recommend the show to others!  It gets kids excited about reading!"  Kristen Deuschle, Media Specialist, Piney Grove Middle

SCASL 2016 Password: Bah Humbug!

"Immediately after the show, the students were asking for the authors' names/works' titles so they could read more.  I ended up displaying them with a link so they could access them.  I know several from each class have already read some!  I enjoyed all of the show, but I particularly liked the portion from "A Christmas Carol, since that's one of the texts we read in 7th grade each December.  My students are more excited than ever before to begin reading "A Christmas Carol" next week!  I would recommend the show without hesitation!  It was very entertaining while also being educational - the perfect mix!"  Hailey Burns, ELA Teacher, Ashworth Middle