2019 Beacon Award Winner
The winner of the 2019 Beacon Society Award is Derrick Belanger of
Broomfield, Colorado. Derrick is a High School Special Education teacher at Horizon High School in Thornton, Colorado. He is also an author of Sherlock Holmes books for children and young adults (The MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes series) and adults (Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance). He gives author talks at schools throughout the year, and has developed a Sherlock Holmes mystery unit where students, in a 5th Grade classroom, complete a mystery writing project. Mr. Belanger has made it one of his missions in life to introduce young people to Sherlock Holmes. He specifically created the MacDougall Twins series to introduce young readers to Sherlock Holmes through the eyes of the ten-year-old twin detectives who are the series’ main characters. He also created the short story anthology The Irregular Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to introduce students to Sherlock Holmes and give them a chance to write their own pastiches with the character. He lectures to students about the importance of thinking like Sherlock Holmes in analyzing assignments and how that can help them be more successful in school. Derrick is an outstanding proponent of all things Sherlockian and is universally respected and loved by hundreds of students and their parents. Derrick, on behalf of the Beacon Society we are proud to present you with a certificate recognizing your accomplishments over the years as a purveyor of ideas in keeping the memory of the Master green for young people. Along with the certificate the award consists of:
Congratulations again from all of us in the Beacon Society for your well deserved recognition. |