Read Across America Week is celebrated throughout the first week of March every year. Starting Mar.2 in honor of Dr.Seuss’s birthday and leads the way to the start of National Reading Month.
Starting the celebration off strong, the National English Honor Society(NEHS) revisits their old schools. Participating in reading and teaching to students in Kindergarten through 6th. The NEHS is providing the opportunity to share the love of literature to the younger learners.
NEHS advisor, Dr. Aileen Florio says the organizations mission is to “cultivate a vibrant environment where high school students and teachers can immerse themselves in the invaluable experiences of promoting literacy and serving society, while honoring exceptional and diverse achievements in the English language arts and related subjects.” And as the adviser Florio makes it a goal for her students “to create meaningful opportunities for members to share their literacy skills with others.”
All members are skilled readers and writers, making Read Across America a relevant event to participate in. Society members had the opportunity to attend Keil, Stonybrook, and PRM. The engagement of NEHS members in Read Across America Week not only highlights their commitment to literacy but also forms a connection between high school students and younger learners. Their activities included interactive lessons and discussions, which not only helped create a love for reading among the younger students but also “allowed me to reflect on my own educational journey,” states Mohammad Almosbeh NEHS member.
“By participating in this event I was reminded of the importance of literacy and the impact that a story can have on a child’s imagination and creativity,” says society member, Adriana Aslani. “When visiting the middle school I gave an hour long lesson. We talked for a bit then had them work on some hand-on activities. It felt fulfilling to inspire younger children and to be a positive role model for them.”
“My experience with this event has been nothing but positive. Making connections with younger students about a shared and loved topic of reading and writing was truly something amazing,” says member Alexandrea Corrado. “My favorite part was hearing all of the second graders ask me questions about the book I read to them. It was such a good feeling seeing them interact with one another.”
Overall, the whole week was a huge success for not only the young students but also the entirety of the NEHS. “I’ve gotten very positive feedback, especially about how adorable the younger students are and how attentive and excited they were to be with the ‘big kids,’” says Florio.
This couldn’t have been done without the help of all of the staff from the participating schools, administrators, teachers, and lunch aides who welcomed all of the students. “I also want to thank Mrs. [Nancy]Bosch, who not only coordinated everything for our Stonybrook visit, but who also baked delicious cookies for our high schoolers!” says Florio.
