Speaking Engagements and School Visits
Teacher Testimonials:
- "My students thoroughly enjoyed hearing from Mr. Kolenc. He was engaging, informative, and allowed my students to recognize that they can use any of their gifts or passions to glorify God."
- "Professor Kolenc shared his passion for writing that began in his own Catholic Elementary School. He encouraged the students to write, discussed their favorite books, and shared his book series, The Harwood Mysteries, which integrate faith and Church history during the Middle Ages. The students were very excited about the books, eager to read them, and were still discussing the books during recess. Hearing his story was an inspiration to all aspiring young authors, and a testament to his educators and the value of a Catholic education."
- "This year, our middle years' students have studied the first two books in The Harwood Mysteries. Students enjoyed learning about the historical setting of the novels, getting to know endearing characters like Xan and Brother Andrew, and making multiple connections to our Catholic faith. We had the chance to meet Mr. Kolenc via Zoom; his writing journey captivated many of our students, and I know some will want to keep on reading the books in the series. Some of our teaching staff and parents are also interested in discovering this great Catholic fiction series and CatholicTeenBooks.Com."
- "Mr. Kolenc visited our school and spoke to the middle school students. He shared examples of his own writing from the 7th grade, which was a wonderful way to connect to them on a personal level. This opened up a fantastic dialogue! Students were particularly interested in his inspiration for writing and the importance of faith in his work. He was very engaging and highly relatable. The kids were very excited that he took the time to personally sign each of their books."
- "Speaking to a group of middle school students can be a challenge for any speaker but not so for Tony Kolenc. Tony was able to keep my students engaged during his presentation on the Hero's journey. His ability to make connections with their middle school culture with references to books/films that they may have read or movies they have seen with the topic he was presenting was excellent and encouraged my students to really listen to what he had to say. When it was time for my students to ask questions Tony took their questions seriously and affirmed both the question and the students. Tony did a really nice job of gently weaving in faith with the topic in a way that invited the students to see that faith is woven through our lives, well done. To quote one of the girls in our girl's school, 'We are a really shy class and it's hard for us to speak up. Mr. Kolenc understood this and didn't make fun of us but joked with us and made us feel comfortable so that we would be able to speak up and ask questions.' Would I have Tony back to my class again? Absolutely."
Here's just a sample of Tony's potential speaking topics:
School Visit Topics
Social Justice Topics
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Homeschooling Topics
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