Mettawee celebrates Read Across America Day

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Mettawee Community School 3rd graders settled in for an afternoon of reading during the school’s annual celebration of Read Across America Day on March 2.

WEST PAWLET — Instead of the Mettawee Community School’s weekly All School Meeting, each class had the opportunity to get comfortable with their self-selected reading as a way to celebrate “Read Across America Day” in honor of Dr. Seuss’ March birthday. Kim Donaldson, reading specialist, and Kelly Ahlfeld, librarian, organized the school’s annual celebration of reading on Wednesday, March 2. This year’s book for All School Read was “Where’s the BaBOOn?” written by Michaël Escoffier.

Principal Brooke DeBonis said, “It’s a book and a puzzle game all in one.”

Students enjoyed milk and a packet of low sugar, nut-free Annie’s bunny cookies as they read.

DeBonis commented, “It was such a successful event. Some students stayed in their classrooms while others traveled to a different space. Some students chose to sit in chairs, while others relaxed and read using blankets and/or pillows on the floor. The students thought the snack was delicious and they loved reading in this cozy atmosphere. This event reinforces the importance of reading and it motivates the students to meet their Books and Beyond goal as well as encouraging them to be life-long readers!  The Books and Beyond program is a positive reading program that motivates students to read and the All-School Read is always a great reminder for the students to keep reading  and reaching for their end of the year goal. A big thank you goes to Mrs. Ahlfeld, Ms. Kelly, and Mrs. Donaldson for organizing our All-School Read event!”

Librarian Kelly Ahlfeld added, “This was  Mettawee’s 10th year of doing a community readaloud book together. As Mrs. DeBonis mentioned, in the afternoon the school held an All School Read. In the afternoon, following our Books and Beyond theme of Blanket Yourself with Words, student and adult readers alike snuggled with blankets, and enjoyed a snack. Everywhere you walked there was student and adult reading — to themselves, with friends, with teachers, and with parent visitors.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate reading!”

Harlow Quail and Emily Bell, both 5th graders, said that they read for two hours. Harlow Quail said, “I finished one book and started another during our Read Across America afternoon.” Emily Bell added, “I really enjoyed having all afternoon to read!”

Reading Specialist Kim Donaldson concluded, “Mettawee readers both young and older celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the halfway point in their year-long (and ultimately lifelong) goal of Blanketing Yourself in Words by reading together across classrooms, grades, and ages (with teachers, support staff, and parents joining in the fun). Reading research consistently points to reading role models as a way to promote reading. As stated in Parent and Child magazine, ‘if you want to raise a reader, be one!’”