LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 28, 2026--
A sheep gets lost in the woods after chasing a butterfly…a kitty cat is abandoned and must find a new home, and a little girl with selfish tendencies learns there are many children who don’t have any toys. These are the plots of just a few of the beautifully illustrated children’s books that came to life in Learn4Life high school’s children’s literature class.
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The idea for such a class was born when teachers at Learn4Life high schools brainstormed ways to engage teens by pairing core classes with fun electives and CTE (career technical education) pathways. Now teens are writing and designing their own books and getting them published on sites like Amazon.
“Our graphic design and multimedia arts classes are always popular, and students earn credentials to help them find a job in the industry,” explained Leticia Sanchez, CTE graphics/multimedia teacher at Learn4Life. “Now we pair those electives with an English writing class and have the students create books that they get to see published in print and digital. They get such a kick out of that.”
Johnny G. has flourished in Learn4Life’s flexible personalized learning model and found a passion in the graphic design CTE pathway. His published book is now available on Amazon, and after graduating he landed a job as a graphic designer, beating out 24 other candidates.
Sanchez says kids today text so much that they don’t know how to write longer-form content. So, the class starts with readings, utilizing books like the first Harry Potter which is rich with illustrations. They review other children’s books, read graphic novels and create their own comic strips.
“They learn how to write a synopsis, and develop a plot, characters and stories behind the stories,” she explained. “We want to have some moral or lesson involved in the children’s books.”
The students take turns acting as editors for their classmates, learning how to improve their own writing and that of others.
Because of the flexibility for students and teachers at Learn4Life, Sanchez has smaller classes so she can focus more on each individual, sit with them and encourage their creativity.
“I have the freedom to create programs like this and continually improve them with student feedback.”
For more information about Learn4Life, visit www.learn4life.org.
About Learn4Life
Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org.
Covers of children’s books written and illustrated by Learn4Life students in a new course that earns them core and elective credits
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Tuesday that it is preparing a limited release of commemorative U.S. passports celebrating America’s 250th birthday that feature a picture of President Donald Trump, who would be the first living president to be featured in the travel document.
The concept for the special passport, including a rendering of Trump’s stern-looking visage, had been under consideration for months before finally being approved late Monday. Between 25,000 and 30,000 of the new passports will be available to applicants at the Washington, D.C., passport office beginning shortly before July 4.
It’s the latest instance of Trump having his name and likeness added to buildings, documents and other highly visible tributes. There are efforts to put Trump’s signature on all new U.S. paper currency, also a first for a sitting president, as well as to include his image on a gold commemorative coin to celebrate the country's founding.
The commemorative passport will be the default document for people applying in person at the Washington office, although those who want a standard passport will be able to get one by applying online or outside Washington, officials said.
“As the United States celebrates America’s 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed U.S. passports to commemorate this historic occasion,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
“These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. passport the most secure documents in the world,” he said.
The limited release passport will feature Trump’s picture over a gold imprimatur of his signature to an interior page, while the cover will feature the words “United States of America” in bold gold print at the top and “Passport” at the bottom — a reversal of the standard cover.
In addition, a small gold laminate American flag, with the number 250 encircled by stars, will be at the bottom of the back cover.
The Bulwark reported earlier on the commemorative passports.
The only presidents featured in current U.S. passports are in a double-page depiction of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Other depictions include the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and scenes of the Great Plains, mountains and islands. Current passports also contain quotations from Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.
The addition of Trump's picture and signature to the passport book is the newest step his aides have taken to increase the president's visibility, including adding his name to the U.S. Institute of Peace building and the Kennedy Center performing arts venue.
Trump also has made waves with his plans for a new White House ballroom and a massive arch to be built at one of the entrances to Washington from Virginia.
FILE - The cover of a U.S. Passport is displayed in Tigard, Ore., Dec. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
