Hull's Jacobs Elementary and Memorial Middle Schools Wrap Up Successful 2023 Read-a-Thon Fundraiser
Jacobs Elementary Principal Kyle Shaw is drenched in slime. (Photo Courtesy Hull Public Schools)
HULL -- Superintendent Judith Kuehn, Memorial Middle School Principal Anthony Hrivnak and Jacobs Elementary Principal Kyle Shaw are pleased to announce that the schools participated in the district's 20th annual Read-a-Thon event this month.
The Read-a-Thon kicked off on Friday, March 3 and concluded on Sunday, March 12.
The schools set a fundraising goal of $20,000 and a reading goal of 202,020 minutes in honor of the event's 20th anniversary. The schools worked together to raise $24,000 and achieved a total of 251,586 minutes of reading.
Funds raised will go toward field trips, cultural enrichment programs and books for the school library to enhance the quality of education for all students in Hull.
The Read-a-Thon is sponsored by the Hull PTO.
"The Read-a-Thon is always such a success thanks to the enthusiasm of our community members," Superintendent Kuehn said. "Everyone gets involved, from our teachers and school staff, to students, families and community members. Thank you to everyone who put forth a huge effort to make this a very special and fun week, and thank you to the Hull PTO for organizing this event."
The Jacobs Elementary School
The Jacobs Elementary School Read-a-Thon kicked off with students and teachers discovering a large "X" at the front of the school, signaling that the Reading Pirate was on his way. The pirate, a famous fixture of the Jacobs Elementary School, sent the "X" as a sign that the students would be going on their own adventure -- a treasure hunt.
Lindsey Rajan, a first-grade teacher, also lead an assembly and encouraged students to use the 10 days to go on as many reading adventures as possible. After the assembly, students were provided with reading logs to track the number of minutes they read during the week, as well as a PTO fundraising log. Students were encouraged to get pledges from their friends and family members. Based on the number of minutes they read, students received up to four clues to help them narrow down the location of the treasure.
This year’s Read-a-Thon also aligned with Literacy Week. Each day students and staff dressed in various pirate and literacy-themed outfits including:
The events culminated in a wrap-up assembly, led by third-grade teacher Jessica Scott, where reading and fundraising awards were presented. To celebrate students' success, a wheel with the names of staff members was spun and kindergarten teacher Chrissy Vittorini and kindergarten paraprofessional Cindy Capone were selected to be slimed from head to toe.
During the assembly, the Reading Pirate made an unexpected appearance with a secret plan for Principal Shaw. Principal Shaw's name was hidden under each staff member on the wheel, so he too was drenched with a bucket of slime. In addition to being slimed, the top fundraising student from each grade level was able to pie Principal Shaw in the face.
"The Jacobs School thanks the PTO, especially Deborah Irby, Jill Mansfield-Jollin and Kim Panetta, for their countless hours of planning, decorating and counting minutes, which made this the best Read-a-Thon ever," said Principal Shaw.
The Memorial Middle School
The Memorial Middle School Read-A-Thon (RAT) activities were organized by a group of students from grades 6-8, including Scarlett Arevalo, Ava Beaumier, Meghan Chiba, Julia Effinger, Colin English, Nelleh Huxtable, Maysea Lyons and Skylar Munzert, along with advisors Lisa Dillion, Melinda O’Reilly, Jennifer Reardon, Sharon Striglio and Amy Hyde. The group met during enrichment periods to create a theme for the event, spirit week activities and ideas for prizes.
The week began with a book swap event where students were asked to bring in a book they enjoyed reading and wanted to share with a classmate. On Feb. 6, Christine Cappadona and Amy Hyde hosted a book-wrapping party after school where students were able to pick a surprise-wrapped book to take home and start the Read-A-Thon.
The theme for the week was “Battle of the Books,” which is inspired by the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament.
Each grade came up with a list of 16 books, which were put in a tournament-style bracket and voted daily. Students that guessed the winning book at the beginning of the week were entered into a raffle to win a gift certificate for a book of their choice.
"After several years of having no Read-A-Thon at the MMS due to the pandemic, we wanted to make this year extra special," said Amy Hyde. "Our book-wrapping party added an extra element of surprise and excitement this year, and I can't wait to see what great ideas our students come up with next year."
Principal Kyle Shaw, the Reading Pirate and teacher Jess Scott. (Photo Courtesy Hull Public Schools)
State Representative Joan Meschino reads to a Pre-K classroom. (Photo Courtesy Hull Public Schools)
Jacobs Elementary student Jocelyn Tyrrell reads at home. (Photo Courtesy Hull Public Schools)
First-grade student Ryan Duran throws a pie at Principal Kyle Shaw. (Photo Courtesy Hull Public Schools) |
|
