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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The parents received slips from the Austintown Intermediate School teachers asking them if they wanted to read to the class. Pictured, Sarah Fenton read Kobi Yamada's "What to Do with a Problem."
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Austintown Intermediate School invited community members and school staff to read in the classrooms in the school throughout the day. Pictured, Laura Howard read to her son's class.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Austintown Intermediate School celebrated World Read Aloud Day on Feb. 1. LitWorld created the international reading campaign to raise awareness of literacy rates around the world. Pictured, Shannon Patrick and her daughter Danika Patrick read the "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You" story "I Hate My Hat."
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Austintown Intermediate School teachers wore shirts that read "reading is my jam" on them to celebrate World Read Aloud Day at the school.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Michael Sauners, principal of Austintown Intermediate School, said that the day showed the connection between the community and the school. Pictured, Lori Scott read "Bad Guy" by Hannah Barnaby to Mr. Rhodes class.
By ZACK SHIVELY
Austintown Intermediate School observed World Read Aloud Day on Feb. 1 by inviting members of the community and other Austintown schools to read to the students.
The campaign, started by the international literary nonprofit LitWorld and sponsored for 2018 by Scholastic, aims at raising awareness for the “750 million people who lack basic reading and writing skills,” as stated on the LitWorld website.
The school invited parents to sign up and volunteer to read throughout the day. School staff members, such as principals Michael Sauner and Shannon Patrick, also read to classes in the school. Some classes went to the elementary school and read to classes in that building.
“The program is based on the importance of reading and reading aloud, but the students are also excited to see the parents come in and read,“ said Sauner. He said that the community and the school share a special connection.
Parent Laura Howard read “The Three Ninja Pigs“ by Corey Rosen Schwartz and “‘Stand Back,’ Said the Elephant, ‘I’m Going to Sneeze!’“ by Patricia Thomas to Kelly Bobovnik’s fourth-grade class, her son’s class. She read to the students because she believes reading aloud is important and fun.
“I’ve always liked to read. My mother read to me when I was young and I read to my children now,“ Howard said.
The teachers celebrated the day as well. Many teachers had multiple parents come in and read throughout the day. The teachers also wore shirts that read “reading is my jam.“
LitWorld pulled information from a series of studies for a World Read Aloud Day packet. They cite a study by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research that found “Reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read alouds regardless of parental income, education level or cultural background.“
Assistant principal Owens had the idea to observe the day at the school.
Visit http://www.litworld.org/wrad for more information on World Read Aloud Day.