Pupils can close book on principal's hair

COLUMBIANA -- Joshua Dixon Elementary Principal John Scardino probably should be sure to have a nice, warm hat to wear in the weeks ahead.
Librarian Natalie Hromiko said if the 400 pupils log one million minutes of reading by Oct. 31, Scardino has promised to have his head shaved at the conclusion of the school's Halloween parade that day.
The parade is at 9:15 a.m., so Scardino's barber appointment would be about 9:45 in the all-purpose room at the school, Hromiko said.
Hromiko said the pupils started the voluntary reading promotion on the first day of school Sept. 3.
They have logged about 600,000 minutes of reading to date, and are picking up the pace.
She said the pupils read during silent reading times in their classes and the library, and can also read at home.
Each time a pupil reads, a parent or teacher signs a form to document the time spent, Hromiko said.
She said as the pupils' excitement grows, the stack of reading forms grows higher. Hromiko said over the past few days the forms have been piling up quickly.