For Warrior Elementary School students, reading actually came to life with the guest storyteller, Janet Longenecker. Dressed in a pilgrim outfit, Longenecker taught the children how important it is to read stories as well as to tell stories.

By Ashley McCleery

The North Jefferson News



During the month of November, kids in north Jefferson County are putting down the remote control and picking up a good book in honor of Jefferson County’s 20th annual Reading Program.

To motivate and foster reading in and out of the classroom, several local schools have celebrated this family reading month, which has been called “Reading is a Family Affair in Jefferson County.”

At the beginning of the month, Bryan Elementary School held a book fair as well as hosted a family reading night, but librarian Stefanie Crowe said reading is emphasized year-round.

“Reading is the cornerstone of all learning,” Crowe said. “We’re trying to promote reading in school because it’ll help them become better readers and better students in the future.”

Fultondale Elementary School librarian Jennifer Rawls agrees that reading is important, which spurred her to create a competition between classes that will motivate the students to read.

For the class that collectively reads the most books by the end of November, Rawls will host a library day in which the kids can come dressed in their pajamas to read books and watch movies all day.

Last year the winning class read over 1,000 books and Rawls said she expects even larger numbers this year and more results.

“As of last year, several teachers said they’re dibble scores [state test that records how many words per minute a child can read] went up,” Rawls said. “The teachers have said that kids can usually read more words per minute after the month of November.”

Although the kids view this reading initiative as a game, Rawls said she’s just glad that kids are not only reading but also reading with their parents.

“The main thing is that it’s a time to focus on family reading because it’s been proven that reading with parents helps the students be more successful in school later on in life.”

For Warrior Elementary School students, reading actually came to life with the guest storyteller, Janet Longenecker. Dressed in a pilgrim outfit, Longenecker taught the children how important it is to read stories as well as to tell stories.

In addition to the storyteller, librarian Andrea Pedigo said the children would also celebrate reading in their pajamas with “snuggle up with a good book” day, which she said gets them excited about reading.

“When kids start reading things on their own and getting excited about it, it makes me excited. It’s very special to me,” Pedigo said.