Summer Reading Celebration

Last Monday I had the privilege of honoring all the students who turned in proof of summer reading to me. Almost 150 students took the time to tell me about their efforts--either by turning in a reading log, chart, Durham County Library certificate, or hand-written letter.  I am so proud of these students who made reading a priority over the summer!! As our assistant principal told the students, reading can open our minds to new worlds, new perspectives, and it's fun!

The students were fortunate to be entertained by UNC professor and storyteller, Dr. Brian Sturm. Dr. Sturm is head of the Story Squad, a story-telling group at the School of Information and Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Story Squad's mission is to "re-integrate storytelling into the early learning experiences of all children to help them develop pre literacy skills..." The 1st-3rd graders enjoyed hearing folktales while the 4th-5th graders heard an urban legend and New Zealand folktale. We are so grateful to Dr. Sturm for donating his time to our special event! 

After the storytelling entertainment, students self-selected a new book and book mark to keep. Thank you to all our parent volunteers who helped make these events possible for our students. Hopefully we'll have even more summer readers join us at next year's celebration! Great job, manatees!