Lakehurst School Literacy Fair Features Local Teen Author

LAKEHURST, NJ — Lakehurst Elementary School students put the emphasis on reading and writing at the school's annual literacy fair held earlier in March.

The Literacy Fair, held at the school with assistance from the Ocean County Library in Manchester and sponsored by the Lakehurst Education Association, stressed literacy and writing and featured raffles, snacks and various family oriented activities, according to a news release from the library. Manchester Library Youth Services Librarian Elaine Menken and Supervising Library Assistant Rebecca Schoonmaker coordinated the library's outreach effort.

The library’s magenta dragon mascot, Sparks, was seen during the program, held at the school’s gymnasium. Among the special guests was teen author and borough student Cedric Derecho, who was selling his recently published book, "Fact or Fiction? A Small Town Life Revealed" during the fair.

“The book was published last month after a year of research and working on it,” Cedric said. He added that he was very proud to showcase the book about local town history at the literacy fair.

Adding to the fun were students who were costumed as characters from the Harry Potter and Hunger Games book series.

The Lakehurst Elementary School Literacy Fair held on the evening of March 7 drew a large number of students and parents to the school’s gymnasium for an event which stressed the importance of writing, reading and learning. Photos courtesy of the Ocean County Library