Last year, Byron-Bergen students pledged to read 10,000 books by the end of the school year. They exceeded that goal by 8,000 books. This year, the reading bar has been raised to 20,000 books, and the challenge kicked off with a school-wide Celebration of Reading assembly on December 5.
“This is our opportunity to get these bright young people ‘stuck on reading,’” says Principal Brian Meister. “We make it fun with events like this. Last year, Assistant Principal Amanda Cook and I took pies in the face when our kids reached the goal. They remember that; it’s motivation. It makes them want to read more.”
The highlight of this year’s assembly was “Read a Book”—a video shot and produced by teacher Ken Rogoyski. Featuring music with lyrics written by fifth-grade ELA teacher Erin Varley, arranged and played by music teacher Bob Lancia, and sung by parent Alyson Tardy (based on Taylor Swift’s song “Shake It Off”) the video was a showcase for the talents of Byron-Bergen Elementary School readers from all grade levels.
The presentation featured an interactive game of Name that Book, with students proving their familiarity with a number of classic books. That was followed with a reading of “Stuck” by Oliver Jeffers, about an impossible tree where everything thrown into it gets stuck. The story was acted out to everyone’s delight by Rogoyski and Meister (as the tree).
The assembly also provided a stage to honor Byron-Bergen athletes who traveled to the 2014 Empire State Games for the Physically Challenged: Emily Zastrow, Emily Yun, Rito Vanegas, Lilliana Vanegas, Camryn Brookhart, Robert Gaylord, Zechariah Merrell, Lilly Liles, Draven Liles, Jonathan Klafehn. The group showed off their medals and shared a video of their experiences at the Games.
The school plans a number of reading events and milestone rewards throughout the year to keep motivation high. “This year Mrs. Cook and I will be on the line for a full day of wearing suits designed by the kids and made of duct tape, along with possibly being stuck to a wall, when our readers succeed. Which they will,” says Meister. “Our kids are awesome.”
