Springs School does a lot of things to make learning fun! One thing in particular is Pick a Reading Partner (called PARP), an annual program that makes kids want to read with their friends and family members. The idea is for students to read with people in their lives as a way to celebrate reading and literacy. Having a partner makes reading more fun and intriguing.
Every year there is a theme. This year’s is “launch into a good book.”
It was introduced at a PARP rally in the school’s gym for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Teachers split into two teams, Astronauts and Aliens. The Astronauts wore blue NASA baseball hats and a white outfit. Many of the aliens wore colorful wigs, headbands with antennas and bug-eyed sunglasses. The teams competed in games of trivia and contests like toilet paper wrapping of one another and balancing an Oreo on their heads as students cheered on. One of the bigger highlights of the rally was when two Aliens entered the gym in their U.F.O., which was the school’s golf cart decorated with Christmas lights. After all of the points were added up, the Astronauts won.
Jessica Vickers was in charge of PARP for 10 years, and after a break, she is back in the lead, this time with Monique Sullivan as her partner.
“Some of our favorite memories of reading are times we read with loved ones,” Ms. Sullivan said when asked why she wanted to lead the program. She hopes the students learn that reading with someone can be fun, can help create memories, and can make for a love of reading. “There are many partners like siblings, family, and friends. The options are endless.
The PARP rally certainly launched things off right. Every student has a big smile.
By McKenzie O’Connell, grade 6