Elementary schools celebrate Read Across America Week

Whitemarsh Elementary School students, faculty, and staff shared their excitement over reading during the first week of March by hearing stories from different parts of the world and kicking off the One School, One Book initiative.

The beginning of March brings with it Read Across America Week, which is typically celebrated on or around March 2. Whitemarsh joined in by reading a different book each day of the week and by wearing something that reflected the theme of the book for that day. Students also received clues each day about the book they would be reading together as part of the One School, One Book initiative.

The evening of March 5, families were invited to the school for the One School, One Book reveal, and learned that they would be reading “Aven Green, Baking Machine.” The book tells the story of Aven Green, a young baker without arms who uses her feet to cook. She joins in a baking contest with her friends, who teach her how to make foods that represent their culture and heritage. Some of the recipes have names or ingredients that Aven doesn’t recognize and thinks she doesn’t like. But through the events that take place in the book, she realizes how important it is to be open-minded when giving new things a try. Part of Whitemarsh’s reveal party encouraged students to do just that by sampling desserts that were featured in the book, such as raisin clafouti, milk barfi, and mint chocolate chip pie. 

The following day, guest readers visited the school to read chapters of the book in class. Whitemarsh Township Police Officer William Betts, father of kindergartener Caroline Betts, read to the students Mrs. Rachel Bell's class. Whitemarsh teachers, dressed in chef’s hats and aprons, also recorded videos of themselves reading different chapters in the book, so that families can read along at home. 

The district’s other K-3 buildings and Colonial Elementary School also celebrated Read Across America Week by inviting in guest readers, by dressing up to reflect different themes for the books they read, and using flashlights to read in a cozy spot.