Berkeley the Bear is a puppet that traveled West Virginia and beyond during Erin’s tenure as  West Virginia Teacher of the Year. He represents the state animal along with his fellow state symbol friends, all named after counties in West Virginia. He was introduced to students across the state via a livestream Internet lesson on Digital Learning Day 2014. Berkeley’s travels and current location were documented on a blog for students and on social media with the hashtag #wheresberkeley. The Adventures of Berkeley the Bear is the first in a series of books based on Erin’s (and Berkeley’s) travels in an effort to promote children’s literacy and state pride across West Virginia. The sequel Berkeley is a Rocket Bear was published on February 22, 2022.