Menconi, James P.: - Dr. James P. Menconi is a retired principal and teacher who has been dedicated to eliminating bullying in our schools using bibliotherapy. He served as a Chicago Public Schools teacher, reading specialist and principal at Monroe Elementary School for a total of forty years. In his retirement he served as a teacher mentor for the NU Teach Program at Northwestern University and as a reading specialist/GED/ESL instructor at Triton and Malcolm X Colleges. He also served as a Treasurer and President for the Chicago Area Reading Association (CARA). In 2000, Dr. Menconi was recognized with the Outstanding Leadership Award by the Chicago Public Schools Administration Association. And in 1989, he was recognized as a Superior Public Service Awardee as the Reading Resource Teacher at the Delano Elementary School. Throughout his distinguished career, he learned of the importance of character education through bibliotherapy and consequently wrote the Queen Mariella series: "Queen Mariella and the Fable of the Peony" because of his love of gardening, and "Queen Mariella and the Crow's Message" because of his interest in American Indian folklore. "Queen Mariella and the Crow's Message" is a great story to help children understand the values of character education and the consequences of bullying.