A Killeen elementary school joined a global effort Wednesday to encourage reading and community.
Guests from throughout the community spent part of the day on World Read Aloud Day to read to children at Reeces Creek Elementary School.
Killeen ISD administrators joined student athlete volunteers from Ellison High School and soldiers from the school’s Fort Hood adopt-a-school unit in filling 15-minute blocks of time for three hours to read to every class.
According to online sources, a non-profit organization called LitWorld organizes the day of reading the first Wednesday of February and it has attracted participation in 173 countries.
Reeces Creek Librarian Rayanne Polm said it is a powerful combination to read to children and to bring community members inside the school door.
“It’s a celebration worldwide to encourage everyone globally to read,” she said. “I like to bring people into our school to show kids that everyone reads, not just librarians and teachers and their parents.”
“I think it’s good to have our community and our senior administration come in and reconnect with the kids and read and see kids face to face,” the librarian said.
“It’s always magical when you read to them because you can show them imagination and for a few minutes you can take the stress of life away and if you get excited, they feel that excitement.”
Polm, the district elementary lead librarian pointed out that many local elementary schools host community readers during another popular literacy initiative, Read Across America Day held around March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720331863179