This week is National Young Readers Week

Nov. 10-14 is National Young Readers Week and Central West Elementary will be taking part in the annual event.

National Young Readers Week was co-founded in 1989 by Pizza Hut and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. During the week, many schools recruit local “celebrities” to read aloud a favorite children’s book to classrooms.

Julie Scott is the event organizer for Central West Elementary. She said this is great week for students because it reinforces the idea that reading is important at any age and that everybody needs to be good readers for any job.

“Reading a good book is like taking a journey to a place we may never be able to go and to meet people (characters) that enrich our lives whether it be a lesson learned or for pure enjoyment through humor,” said Scott. “It will also be a way for our students and people in our community to connect through literature. Students love to be read to so this will give them an opportunity to hear from a new person each day and to hopefully hear some good stories, as well as to hear the reader’s favorite books and why they love reading.”

Scott believes this is a good way to get people from the community into the schools and see what is happening as well as making a positive impact on the students.

There will be a variety of readers daily throughout the week as well as the schools’ two principals reading for a whole day.

Principal Keith Groom and Tracie Kasey have accepted the “Principal’s Challenge” which helps fire up reading for the entire school by encouraging principals to take one or more days out of the week and read from bell to bell.

On Monday, Groom will be “Hunting for a Good Book” in camo and his tree stand. Casey will be “Lounging with Literature” on Wednesday. She will be wearing pjs and sitting in a recliner in the schools lobby. The teachers will bring their classes by the lobby throughout the day to hear a story read by the principals.

“Reading is the building blocks for everything else that a student has in store for them,” said Groom. “To get a student to read things that are interesting to them is vital to their development of vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness, and comprehension. ‘Hunting for Something to Read’ is my theme this next Monday for the principal’s challenge. I will be in full camo and in my tree stand out near our playground reading to myself and to students about some of my interests which is outdoors.

“When I get the chance to be outdoors, I always have a book in my backpack to pass the time,” he said. “It is a great time of peace and solitude. If I can entice one student who doesn’t enjoy reading to read through me doing the principal’s challenge, then I have helped our community that much more.”

The principals will not be the only ones reading during the week. Park Hills Mayor David Easter will be reading Monday and Friday morning to various school children in different grades at Central West Elementary.

“Reading is very important,” said Easter. “You use reading for everyday activities by using computers and cell phones. Everything is text, when you send messages and emails. Reading is an important fundamental of education itself. Therefore as a former English teacher and one who sells books and magazines here in the community, I advocate reading every day and also proper material level for the child and adult as well.”

Korey Johnson is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-518-3616 or Kjohnson@dailyjournalonline.com