Photo By Mari-Alice Jasper | Braydon, left, and Hunter Bryant, accept a basket of books from the Cat in the Hat...... read more read more
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – A motorcade of teachers and staff, known as the Prize Patrol Team, paraded their decorated vehicles through Fort Campbell’s neighborhoods, honking their horns and clanging cowbells while cheering for their students.
The team stopped at 16 students’ homes as the culminating event celebrating Read Across America Week. The week is an annual observance established by the National Education Association. The goal of this initiative is to get children excited about reading.
Steven Gardner, principal, Andre Lucas, said the school hosted a full week of different activities including inviting guests to read for the children. Although some programs were limited because of COVID-19 safety precautions, Gardner said the Prize Patrol Team was a top priority. This is the third year the Prize Patrol Team has showered winning students with books.
For the drawing, the names of all the school’s students were put into a big hat. Then, winners were randomly selected.
The school’s Parent Teacher Organization was heavily involved in the program. The PTO put about $1,000 toward purchasing books for the gift baskets. Then, the PTO was presented with a $1,500 grant from the Federal Education Association to continue purchasing books for the giveaway.
When the Prize Patrol Team stopped at Kynlee Barber’s home, the third grade student shook with excitement. Eagerly, she unwrapped the basket and dug into the books. Some thin, quick reads, while others were chunky chapter books.
She quickly thumbed through a few selections, taking in the titles.
“I like reading because when you are reading you can visualize the pictures,” Kynlee said. “In a chapter book, it’s like an adventure. You imagine the adventure.”
With her nose already in a book, Kynlee said she was grateful for the gift.
“All I can say is thank you,” she said.
Gardner said it’s important to keep that passion for reading alive, even when facing a tough curriculum.
“If we are not careful, we can destroy the love of reading,” he said. “We encourage children to read on their own and read what interests them. We want that love of reading and we want to instill that in children so they can take that on into adulthood and be lifelong learners.”
Torri Kalm, fifth grade teacher, Andre Lucas, said reading is the foundation of all learning. It’s imperative students start building those cornerstones at an early age, because it sets them up for success in the long run.
“By starting them young and exposing them to books, it really starts to develop that interest and love for reading so that when they do get to us (in the fifth grade), they love it and they are solid,” Kalm said. “They are ready to tackle bigger, more complex problems.”
The event was a little silly, but that’s something that makes this unique tradition so special, she said.
“We want the students to see learning is fun. It’s not all about sitting at a desk and doing a worksheet,” Kalm said. “It’s about us as educators, getting out there and loving what we do. This is a way to keep the students engaged.”
In light of COVID-19, Kalm said this kind of fun is exactly what children need, especially in a military community.
“Half of these kids are in a transition period already, so then you add COVID-19 on top of that,” she said. “Normalcy is still here and we can keep on doing these traditions even though we’ve had to modify how we do them. We want to bring some peace to them, but also to us, and some fun.”
Above everything else, Kalm said the event was a chance for everyone to show the students just how much they are cherished.
“It’s so important for the kids to know we love them and we are celebrating their accomplishments,” she said. “I honestly don’t know who is having more fun tonight, the kids or us.”
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2021 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 391272 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Read Across America: Prize Patrol Team delivers book gift baskets to 16 students, by Mari-Alice Jasper, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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