Schools nationwide are celebrating Read Across America Week, and area schools are pulling out all the stops to get children excited about books.
At Olga Brener Intermediate School, more than two dozen fictional characters walked down the runway Monday in the school’s first-ever literary fashion show. The students eagerly welcomed teachers portraying The Cat in the Hat, Katniss Everdeen, Huckleberry Finn and other popular protagonists.
St. James Lutheran School made reading a family affair Monday night, holding read-aloud activities at the school and a book fair. The staff also offered advice to parents on how to encourage children to read outside of school.
Menominee Indian Middle School incorporated native culture as The Cat in the Hat interacted with hoop dancers and native drums. The Dr. Seuss classic was read in the traditional Menominee language.
In its 17th year, Read Across America is facilitated by the National Education Association.
The fashion show was new for Olga Brener. Principal Karen Smith said besides giving students the chance to see their favorite characters come to life through their teachers, the show introduced students to characters they might be interested in reading about in the future.
When Katniss Everdeen (teacher Karen Braun), one of the main characters from the popular book series “The Hunger Games,” popped out on the runway in the school’s cafeteria, students greeted her with cheers.
The students were also excited to see their favorite gorilla, Ivan (teacher Jenny Ballwahn), come bounding into the room, as “The One and Only Ivan” has been featured in the school’s family book club.
On Tuesday, Olga Brener students got the chance to dress as their favorite fictional characters, and students are decorating their classroom doors later in the week with book and character imagery.
The youngest students at Olga Brener are third-graders, and events like this week’s are vital to keep students interested in books, said Carrie Ninham, Olga Brener’s literacy coach.
National education organizations say third grade is usually the critical junction to get students reading on grade level.
“This level is critical,” Ninham said. “Either they’re going to be interested in reading more or they’re going to fall off that interest. Anything that we can do to promote literacy, I think, is extremely important. Having weeks like this that highlight literacy can be fun, and you can do a lot of different things.”
St. James is placing an increased emphasis on reading this year with the addition of a Title I teacher who helps classroom teachers focus on reading strategies that help disadvantaged students, according to principal Susan Longmire.
Title I teachers have been a part of public schools for many years, but now parochial schools are getting the added reading assistance, she said.
“All year, we’ve been putting an emphasis on literature, and we just felt that we should try this,” Longmire said.
Besides the read-alongs and book fair, the school also gathered families in the cafeteria to enjoy walking tacos and discussed with parents what they can do to encourage reading.
“Every night, settle them down and read a book together,” Longmire said. “They need to be the examples.”
Longmire said it is more challenging than ever to get children to read, as video games and the Internet compete with literature for attention.
“They don’t even know how to interact with one another anymore,” Longmire said. “It’s like you have to teach them social skills, so getting them to read really already starts at (age) 1½. Parents should be saturating them with books. Even though they can’t read them themselves, they’re used to them. They see the importance of books.”
Longmire pointed out that a good reading base helps students succeed in other school subjects, as well.
To get students at Menominee Indian Middle School more interested in reading, the school’s cultural event included a pie throw, with students who met their reading goals earning the chance to throw pies at their favorite teachers.
Earlier in the day, the Cat in the Hat paid a visit to Keshena Primary School, reading with the students and having lunch with them.
The Menominee Indian School District also received two representatives from the Wisconsin Education Council, who presented the district with $500 to help enhance school libraries.
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