Kindergartners clap along with poet/songwriter Eric Ode and his “The Hippopotamus Song.” Ode was one of two authors to participate in Helen Haller’s Cougar Writing Conference. The conference ran March 2-4, encouraging students to become poets, authors, songwriters and generally better writers. Students learned tricks of the writing trade from Ode and author/illustrator Richard Jesse Watson, who both shared excerpts from their books. The event ended with students visiting different classrooms to share their writing with all grade levels. Ode visited Greywolf Elementary on March 1. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash