Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer visits Montgomery elementary school
Students at Highland Avenue Elementary School in Montgomery got a surprise visit from Montgomery native and Hollywood star Octavia Spencer.
Spencer visited kindergarten students for a special literacy focused event yesterday. She was once a student at that very school and faced reading challenges when she was a child.
Spencer co-wrote a new children’s book, called “Detective Dell Is On The Case,” which she read aloud to students. It is a children’s mystery book that promotes curiosity and critical thinking.
“I learned a lot about who I was and gained a lot of confidence at this school,” Spencer told Action 8 News. “It’s funny that they’re now eagles, the Highland Avenue Eagles, and I’m an Auburn Tiger, War Eagles. I just think that it came full circle for me, especially seeing these young kids and how excited they are about learning.”
“Being that Spencer was a product of MPS, that’s the excitement of our students knowing that they too can be someone special and someone being exciting in the world of education. The world of entertainment. The world of politics,” school principal Takisha Muhammad said.
This is one stop of many that Spencer is making on her reading tour to promote her new book.
Among her acting awards, she received an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her role as Minny in the 2011 film, “The Help.”
