By Lisa Carolin
March is National Reading Month across the nation, and the Chelsea District Library and the elementary and middle schools are very much involved.
At North Creek Elementary School, activities include the annual principal challenge.
“If all students combined can read 15,000 books during the three weeks of March is reading Month, I will have to get a pie thrown in my face at the final assembly on March 23,” said Principal Luman Strong.
Illustrator Rick Lieder and author Helen Frost spoke to students on March 13 and 14, and North Creek held the school’s annual book fair in the media center.
South Meadows Elementary School has been enjoying its Reading Drills of Reading Month, and reported that thanks to great book-fair support, the school helped give 4,112 Scholastic books to classrooms in need.
South Meadows enjoyed visits from author Michael Buckley, author of the New York Times best-selling series “The Sisters Grimm”.
“South’s theme this year is “Games! On your mark, get set, Read!” said Principal Stacie Battaglia.
“Each student was given a game board with various spaces that offer up opportunities for reading a variety of materials. If they complete their game board and turn it in, they earn a prize. If a certain number at each respective grade level turns game boards in, they get to throw pies at me at our end-of-month assembly,” she said.
During Reading Drills at random times during the month, game theme music is played over the PA system. Everyone in the school stops what they’re doing and heads into the hallways to read together.
“It’s such a cool thing to see,” said Battaglia.
On Friday, March 23, South Meadows will have an assembly to give out prizes and will be joined by SRSLY, which will launch the new edition of Captain SRSLY comic books to the students. The author and illustrator of the comics will be there to talk to students about writing and reading and will also do a drawing exhibition for them.
Beach Middle School teacher Amy Doma reports that the school received visits from author Nora Raleigh Baskin, author of 13 novels for young readers including Nine/Ten: A 9/11 Story about four kids from different parts of the country and how their lives were affected by the events of 9/11.
The Chelsea District Library supplies books to students in first through sixth grade through a Chelsea Education Foundation grant. They also coordinate author presentations and writer workshops in the schools sponsored in part by the Friends of Chelsea District Library, explained Patty Roberts, head of marketing for the library in an email.
“Some classes are collecting donations from students of “grown out of books” to pass along to younger readers,” said Doma, who added the school also rolls Pi Day (March 14) and other math activities into the month of March.
