Village School Students Celebrate ‘Read Across America’

HOLMDEL, NJ — For nearly two decades, Village Elementary School has been celebrating Read Across America, the nation’s largest celebration of reading.

Each year, the school strives to outdo its previous celebrations, and this year was no exception.

From March 3 through March 6, daily activities throughout the school focused on reading and rhyming, with students enjoying themed dress-up days, a school-wide 15-minute “quiet read” in the hallway and a Hero Reader celebration.

In addition to daily activities, Village School also welcomed over 50 “hero readers” to spend the morning with young students.

These community heroes included members of the local police and state police departments, as well as the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.

The heroes were greeted with a breakfast provided by the Village parent group (PSA).

“Each class had two readers, and following the stories, students engaged in a question-and-answer session with their designated hero,” school officials said. “To express their gratitude, students wrote thank-you notes and cards, making the experience truly memorable.”

Alongside the school’s daily activities, the second and third-grade Student Council also participated in a service learning project to continue the excitement about reading while contributing to their community.

For this project, the council invited students to design a cereal box showcasing their favorite book, which decorated the hallway throughout the week.

Additionally, they challenged homeroom classes to donate cereal boxes to a local food bank, with the winning class earning a special prize.

Thousands of boxes poured in, and on the final day, the school gathered to celebrate their achievement.

In total, 5,342 cereal boxes were donated to Lunch Break in Red Bank, which provides food, clothing, housing solutions, life skills and more to those in need in Monmouth County and beyond.

“As a conclusion to Read Across America week, the school participated in an assembly and was surprised with a Cereal Box Domino run,” school officials said.

“The winning two classes also got to tape Principal Barrett to the wall; the students all had an amazing time.”

To learn more about Read Across America, you can visit their website.