Middle Gate School Celebrates Reading

By Kendra Bobowick

Many fictional characters have traits that provoke the imagination — they can fly, produce magic from a wand, communicate with animals, and they never fail to find the hidden treasure after barely escaping dragons, monsters, and evil crusaders. An entourage of super heroes toured a local elementary school Friday, May 4 as Middle Gate School students dressed up as their favorite character. The day celebrated both Middle Gate Loves To Read Day and was the culmination of a Read To Feed fundraising campaign ongoing since October. Gail Huitt has organized Middle Gate Loves to Read Day for the last ten years. This is the first year for Read to Feed.

“It’s a day to set aside regular work and celebrate books and authors,” she said.

Visiting classrooms were storytellers, minstrels, and authors who offered different approaches to telling a tale.

Guest Mary Jo Maichack, a storyteller and musician, talked about the celebration of books. Students were encouraged to act out characters’ parts and even dress in costume to carry out a story line. “We focused on the joy of books,” Ms Maichack said.

From down the hall came the sound of an instrument accompanying folk lyrics as Balladeer Bob Huitt sang to students and prompted them to join him in the refrains.

Adding another treat to the day’s activities and bridging the Middle Gate Loves to Read with the Read to Feed program was guest speaker Page McBrier, who wrote Beatrice’s Goat, which tells the true story of Beatrice Biira, an impoverished Ugandan girl whose life is transformed by the gift of a goat.

Students raised more than $7,900 for people in developing countries through a fundraiser that has been ongoing since October. The money is going to Heifer International. Chartwells, the food service company for Newtown schools, generously donated $1,000 of that amount, Ms Huitt said.

Heifer’s mission is to “work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth,” and Heifer’s strategy is to “pass on the gift,” according to the website. Also, “as people share their animals’ offspring with others — along with their knowledge, resources, and skills — an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe.” Learn more at www.heifer.org. Ms Huitt said students bought 4 sheep, 7 llamas, 16 flocks of ducks and geese, 7 beehives, 2 cows, 8 pairs of rabbits, 8 goats, 7 water buffalos, 9 pigs, and 20 flocks of chickens.

Ms Huitt added that Beatrice is now attending college in the United States. The picture book written by Ms McBrier was illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter, and shows how the arrival of the goat sustains the family, and allows Beatrice to achieve her dream of attending school.