Printer Friendly Version - Wild, Wild, Wild: Read Across America Day at Jerome Harrison School

With activities and books following the theme ‘Wild About Reading,’ very wild series of events at Jerome Harrison Elementary School helped celebrate Read Across America (RAA) Day on March 3. Shown here, JHS science teacher and event committee member Judy Bannon leads pre-K students in producing the sounds of a thunder storm in an storm-darkened classroom. Pam Johnson/The Sound

With activities and books following the theme ‘Wild About Reading,’ very wild series of events at Jerome Harrison Elementary School helped celebrate Read Across America (RAA) Day on March 3. Shown here, students get into a wild rock concert in the school gym. Pam Johnson/The Sound

Jerome Harrison Elementary School’s library-turned-jungle hosted reading groups and reading guests such as an Empire Penquin (at back), who visited with North Branford High School Dream Team members. Pam Johnson/The Sound

Complete with a thundercloud cap, North Branford High School Dream Team member Mollie Lacroix (left) prepares to add some ‘lightening’ to the wild weather of kid-powered thunderstorm storms, led by teacher Judy Bannon (seated). Pam Johnson/The Sound

A wild rock concert, wild jungle, wild weather, wild costumes and some pretty wild and imaginative books made for a wild day at Jerome Harrison Elementary School (JHS) on March 3.

JHS pre-K through second grader students kids even found out “Where the Wild Things Are,” thanks to the children’s classic by writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The very wild day at school helped the JHS family to celebrate Read Across America (RAA) Day.

Established by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 to help get kids excited about reading, RAA Day is officially celebrated on the birthday of Dr. Seuss, March 2, with the intent of sharing a day of reading children’s books at school.

At JHS, RAA Day took place on Friday, March 3, kicking off with staff and students arriving dressed in costumes keyed to the event’s “Wild About Reading” theme.

Thanks to a generous donation from United Way, many JHS classrooms received a donation of three wild new books for the event, such as “Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella,” by author Susan Lowell.

The books were given out in classrooms visited by 21 United Way volunteer readers on RAA Day at JHS. Other guest readers for the day included State Representative Vincent Candelora (R, 86) and North Branford Board of Education chair Shawna Holzer. North Branford High School (NBHS) Dream Team students also read to kids and otherwise assisted faculty on the day.

JHS science teacher and event committee member Judy Bannon noted this was the first year for the United Way collaboration, and the 13th year JHS has decorated the school to celebrate RAA Day. Students also made the rounds to visit different activity stations in classrooms, the library, the gym, and even the hallways.

Bannon’s wild activity for kids? A kid-powered thunderstorm fueled by rain sticks and other sounds; topped off by “lightening“ produced by NBHS Dream Team senior Molly Lacroix.

“This has always been an amazing opportunity for us to come together as a school family to enjoy each other while celebrating reading,” said Bannon.