Trumpeting ‘One School, One Read’

By Larissa Lytwyn

Sandy Hook School’s second annual ‘One School, One Read’ kick-off trumpeted — literally — the unveiling of this year’s book, E.B. White’s Trumpet of the Swan.

The program invites the entire school community — including students’ families — to share the experience of reading and discussing a book together.

Related activities include “homework” discussion questions for parents, as well as dialogue about the book’s content and characters in reading and language classes.

Other themes, such as instruments and games featured in the book, are explored in students’ music and physical education classes.

“We really look for a book that is accessible to all of our students,” said language arts consultant Judie Mitten, “something that can be related to every [academic] subject.”

As students filed into the auditorium for the commencement assembly, Bugler Nick Drabik, a freshman at Newtown High School, played several selections, including “Taps.”

Lining the stage were several rows of paper bags, each fastened with a mysterious swan-shaped clip.

About 20 students paraded to the front of the room to perform skits involving the use of vocabulary words from the book.

For the last several weeks, students had been receiving clues to what’s this year’s ‘One School, One Read’ book would be.

Teachers had constructed scenes from the book on hallway bulletin boards. Names of places featured in the book were written above the school’s gymnasium.

Finally, Principal Donna Page unveiled the title of the book, Trumpet of the Swan, to cheers.

Each child received a paper bag, which included copies of the book per child, as well as related materials, including discussion questions.

“The Trumpet of the Swan is a great book for our students,” said Ms Mitten. “It has great language. It’s very rich.”