IN Plum Summer 2014 | Page 41

PLUM BOROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS HAPPILY participated in the National Education Association’s 17th Annual Read Across America Week. This year’s theme was “Grab Your Hat and Read With the Cat” The purpose of . the annual event was to motivate children to read— and to read all year long. President Obama stated, "When parents, educators, librarians, and mentors read with children, they give a gift that will nourish souls for a lifetime. Today, Americans young and old will take time to get lost in a story and do their part to cultivate the next generation of talent and intellect". Plum Borough’s children enjoyed a whole week of activities that helped cultivate their talent and intellect, and enabled them to get “lost in a story” . Some of the days, dressed in “Cat in the Hat” attire, young students enjoyed reading their favorite Dr. Seuss story with an older buddy. Pivik and Regency Park students paired younger students with older students to read and enjoy a fun activity related to the story. At Holiday Park, Kindergarteners got to read with their 6th grade buddies, and at AS@P, students in grades three, four and five selected some of their favorite stories and shared them with younger students in kindergarten, first and second grade. They also helped the younger students to create a book of their own. Center Kindergarten students and third graders paired to read in their slippers with their favorite stuffed animal. One of the highlights of Read Across America Week, was the many visiting readers who came to share their love of reading with students. Parents and grandparents visited many of the buildings. Plum High School students from the Future Teachers of America Club read to Pivik and Holiday Park students, and experienced first-hand, the joy of “teaching” youngsters. Regency Park students were visited by administrators, school board members, teachers, and community members. The students were excited, and enjoyed listening to these guest readers. Some told stories of when they played sports and brought in autographed baseballs for the students to view. Others, told stories of how the books they were reading were childhood favorites. It was a great experience for the students to see that the love of reading carries on at all ages. Have you ever tasted green eggs and ham? Plum students did. And, to connect reading to mathematics, students interviewed each other to see if they liked green eggs and ham. Then, they graphed the results—children didn’t like green eggs and ham as much as Sam! Another group of second graders from AS@P celebrated their love of reading by hosting a Dr. Seuss Reading Café. The students worked hard to pre