West jump-starts reading program

By Staff
Melissa Cason
West Elementary kindergarteners spend a day last week cuddling with Corduroy as the school participated in the Jumpstart Read for the Record campaign.
Mary Kay Rogers, librarian, organized the event at the school where each kindergarten class had special time in the library with a guest reader. The book choosen for the nationwide campaign is Corduroy by Don Freeman.
"The book was published forty years ago," Rogers said. "The author also wrote a follow up called A Pocket for Corduroy."
Freeman also wrote a few other books including Beady Bear. Rogers said Freeman's books taught children the message of friendship.
Rogers said the goal for the event was to interest the students in becoming a good reader for life, and breaking the world record of how many students were read the book.
"Last year 258,000 students nationwide participated in the event," Rogers said. "We are trying to break that record."
Rogers serves as the school's record keeper, completing the necessary for Guinness Book of World Records.
West Elementary had 225 students who participated in this event. Guest readers for the event were Mrs. J. Warhurst, Mrs. K. Palmer, Mrs. J. Morrow, Mrs. R. Robinson, Mrs. D. Hollimon, Mrs. S. Rushing, and Ms. M. Hester.
Jumpstart is a national nonprofit organization that engages preschol children from low-income communities in an intensive early education program to improve their cognitive and emotional development, ensuring they enter kindergarten prepared to succeed at grade level.
For more information on jumpstart, visit www.jstart.org