Dave Goldman, an English teacher from Division Avenue High School wrote and published the children’s book “The Great Blue Dragon,” inspired by his colleague, beloved teacher Michael Verdi who unexpectedly passed away in September.
Photo courtesy of the Levittown Public Schools
Division Avenue High School English teacher Dave Goldman from the Levittown Public Schools is turning his heartbreak into an inspiring story. While putting his three-year-old son to bed one evening, Goldman told the tale of the Great Blue Dragon, a story that popped into his head and was inspired by his good friend and colleague, Michael Verdi. Verdi was a beloved teacher, adviser and coach at Division Avenue High School who unexpectedly died in September, shaking the Levittown community and high school with grief.
The loss hit close to home for Goldman who has taught at Division Avenue High School for 21 years, alongside Verdi. Students and staff at Division Avenue High School, home of the Blue Dragons, viewed Verdi as a man of character and someone they could always turn to.
“It was like an earthquake hit this school,” Goldman said about the heartbreaking loss. “Mike was the center of this building and was at the core of everything…he was the essence of the Blue Dragon.”
After realizing that his son enjoyed his Great Blue Dragon story, Goldman decided to summarize the tale and share it on Facebook. It resonated with people and he received positive responses. Someone recommended that he share it with the world and publish it into a book. Goldman took the idea and ran with it. He was no stranger to writing children’s books. He had written one in the past entitled “Little Man Nate Finds His Song,” which was inspired by his son.
Goldman reached out to his illustrator friend, Michael Jump and soon the book “The Great Blue Dragon” was born. It is dedicated to Verdi who embodies the Great Blue Dragon character. The goal behind the book was to immortalize Verdi and allow people to remember the amazing man he was.
The book focuses on The Great Blue Dragon who teaches the other dragons how to live and what they need to know, making the world a brighter place. At the end of the story, The Great Blue Dragon gets tired and needs to rest, turning the world dark. The little dragons remember the lessons that he taught them and realize that they can still make flames, fly and roar because of what they learned from The Great Blue Dragon.
“The point of the story is that when you teach someone something, especially teachers and coaches, you pass on a piece of yourself,” said Goldman. “That piece of Mike stays with us. It stays with the people who learned from him.”
“The Great Blue Dragon” is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. Profits from the book sales will support the Verdi family.
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February 21, 2020 at 07:05AM
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