PI students drop everything and read

Students in Angela Kelley's third-grade classroom at Zippel Elementary School in Presque Isle gathered in a group near the coat rack to enjoy some fun non-academic reading during their Stop, Drop and Read session as part of Read Across Aroostook Day this past Wednesday. Seated from left to right are: Emma Cormier, Paige Cormier, Cole Hill, Wyatt Manning-Harris, Carter Gardiner, and Zachary Blanchette. (Melissa Lizotte)

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — As part of Read Across Aroostook Day on April 11, children in kindergarten through eighth grade across The County took a break from class for a little while and enjoyed some quiet reading time of their own.

As part of the annual day, put on by Aroostook Right to Read, students participated in half-hour-long “Stop, Drop and Read” sessions in which they got to choose a favorite book, find a comfortable spot in the classroom and read for fun instead of working on class assignments.

“It gives the students a chance to relax and choose a book that they want to read instead of one they have to read for class,” said Angela Kelley, third-grade teacher at Zippel Elementary School in Presque Isle and president of Aroostook Right to Read. “We want them to feel excited about reading.”

At Zippel, students in grades three through five scattered excitedly around their classrooms while choosing their spot to read. Some children stayed behind at their desks while others preferred to use their coats or backpacks as comfy pillows on the floor or gather by the coat rack.

“I’m reading ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’” third-grader Cole Hill, 9, said. “It’s my favorite. I’ve read the whole series before.”

Leonora Curtis, 9, also a third grader, enjoyed reading “Operation Secret Recipe,” a book in the “Geronimo Stilton” series by Elisabetta Dami.

“I like that we get to read our favorite books for a half hour,” Curtis said, about “Stop, Drop and Read.”

Aroostook Right to Read began in 1982 as a way to promote literacy and reading skills in elementary school students across Aroostook County. In addition to Read Across Aroostook Day, the group holds a bookmark contest in which one student’s’ design is chosen to be printed on a bookmark that is given to all students on the second Wednesday in April. This year’s winner was Isaac Staples, a fifth grader at Zippel.

Every May Aroostook Right to Read holds its annual Young Authors Institute conference at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Students from school districts across Aroostook County attend writing workshops hosted by local educators and hear from a published children’s author. This year’s conference will be held on May 16 and feature author Rob Buyea. Students also can enter a short story for a chance to be included in the Young Authors Institute Anthology or submit artwork to be considered for the book cover.

Across the hallways at Zippel, classroom and office doors were decorated with characters and scenes from students’ favorite books as part of a decorating contest. Dr. Seuss became a favorite among students and teachers, as scenes from “Horton Hears a Who,” “The Lorax” and “The Cat and the Hat” came to life on many of the doors.

Kelley noted that at Zippel some teachers chose to hold their “Stop, Drop and Read” sessions on Thursday, April 12, due to their students taking part in the yearly Maine Educational Assessment exams. But regardless of when they traded in textbooks for tales from their favorite authors, the goal was to give students an opportunity to connect the importance of reading with academic success.

“Reading is the fundamental skill that all students need in order to understand everything they learn whether it’s math, science or social studies,” Kelley said. “They always have their favorite books on their desks to read if they get their work done early and teachers take them to the school library once a week, but ‘Stop, Drop and Read’ and the door contest are just other ways that we hope make them enjoy reading more.”