CLARK — Valley Road Elementary School buzzed with excitement and a passion for reading during its weeklong Read Across America celebration. With special guest appearances and a variety of creative activities, the week was filled with engaging events that inspired students to discover and enjoy the joy of reading.
The festivities kicked off with a special visit from author Anna Kang and illustrator Christopher Weyant on national Read Across America day.
Students also enjoyed a surprise visit from the Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2. On Monday, buddy classes across grade levels joined together for a “Drop Everything and Read” session, fostering a shared love of reading. Throughout the week, students and staff participated in themed dress-up days, bringing reading to life in creative and engaging ways.
The celebration culminated on Friday with the highly anticipated Vocabulary Parade. Valley proudly showcased words through inventive costumes, demonstrating their expanding vocabularies in a fun and memorable way. Teacher Jessica Zerella said, “The reading program is so important to Valley culture and watching everyone get excited about books is what it is all about! The vocabulary parade with 100% participation really shows how much the school cares about reading and having fun while doing it!”
Valley Road ended the week with the PTA sponsored dance party to celebrate the end of the reading log incentive program with Zerella DJ-ing the event. This year, students turned in logs accounting for more than 7,750 books read! Students left inspired to explore the magic of books while creating lasting memories of literacy and learning.
Photos Courtesy of Christine Casale Broski
