Chillicothe primary school promotes reading with literacy night

Shelby Reeves, Chillicothe Gazette
·2 min read
One of the stations during literacy night was a read-along station where faculty read books to students.
One of the stations during literacy night was a read-along station where faculty read books to students.

CHILLICOTHE— Chillicothe Primary School students went around the world as they celebrated literacy night.

Literacy night is an after-school event where students were encouraged to come to the school with their guardians to showcase reading and writing skills. The theme for the recent event was Reading Takes You Places.

Students who came received a passport at the entrance and a sticker for each activity they visited. Activities included a read-along station, a book fair and more. At one location kids were able to create and design a page that will be combined with other students in their grade to make an entire book.

Literacy coaches for the school, Jane Salyers and Nancy Thornsberry say they enjoy making reading fun for students. This event, they said, also helps bridge the gap between school and home by giving parents different strategies to help encourage reading.

Principal Kim Hurst explained that it is especially important to teach younger kids to read because it helps build a strong foundation for their future. She said at the primary school age they are learning to read but as they age they will start reading to learn. By creating independent readers Hurst said the faculty and parents are setting up students for success.

As a STEM-focused school, Hurst said they encourage students to explore their interests but to do that they need to have a good understanding of literacy. This includes reading research as well as writing down new information.

One parent, Kelsey Throne, brought her children to the after-school event. She said she often reads to her kids at home but events like these help keep kids interested in reading and school. With other things to take a kid's attention, like video games and tv, Throne said it is important to foster this excitement. One of her kids, Lucy, especially likes to read and was excited to be at the school for literacy night.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Chillicothe primary school promotes reading with literacy night