MILTON—W.H. Rhodes third-grader Zayna Williams beamed with pride Wednesday as Literacy Coach Diane Lewis stopped her in the hallway to read her hot pink T-shirt.
“Fearless … strong … brave … bold,” Lewis said. “I love it!”
Zayna was among hundreds of children taking part in “Read My Shirt Day” as part of the Rhodes’ annual Literacy Week. Administrators, teachers and students donned T-shirts with all kinds of messages to read aloud throughout the day.
“We make it fun,” said Lewis, who heads the school’s professional development for reading. “We really try to promote a love of reading and not just reading for a test.”
The school kicked off its celebration Monday with a Family Reading Night that drew 300 people. With a theme of “We Can Change the World with Our Own Two Hands,” the event featured a variety of activities spread across the entire school.
Parents and children enjoyed literacy-themed crafts and games, pizza and cookies in the cafeteria; Kazoo, of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, read aloud stories; and festivities featured the dedication of Rhodes’ first Free Little Library. Rhodes ESE teacher Ken Ragsdale built the tiny library to look like the old train depot on Henry Street; it will be placed at the Guy Thompson Community Center.
“We had a book walk, and we gave out a lot of books,” said Lewis, adding that she was pleased to see such a large turnout of parents. “We can’t do it alone. It truly takes a village.”
Two of the most popular attractions at the literacy fair were the Emerald Coast Science Center’s mobile planetarium and telescopes set up by the Pensacola State College Astronomy Club, which also donated a Galileo telescope to Rhodes.
“It was all about reading and my favorite was the planetarium,” third-grader Jaxon Strickland said. “It was so dark in there, and you could see the North Star and the constellations!”
On Thursday, teachers and students wore animal prints on “Wild About Reading Day” and on Friday, they dressed as their favorite book characters.
Because of Rhodes’ push to increase literacy at all grade levels, classroom teachers are coming up with new and better strategies to teach reading, Lewis said.
“Teachers talk to their students about why an author used certain words,” she said. “We really take it apart and dig into it.”
Lewis said she and several Rhodes teachers — particularly Amy Blackwell and Cindy Larson — began planning the school’s weeklong literacy celebration in August.
“It puts a focus on what, to me, is the most important academic area,” Lewis said. “You can’t do any of the others without reading. It really is foundational.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Magic of reading takes center stage at W.H. Rhodes