Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Cintron, a recruiter assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group New England, supported an effort to read books to children at Andover Elementary School as part of Read Across America Month. Read Across America is the annual initiative to promote literacy and encourage a love for reading.
The school, in Andover, Maine, celebrated Read Across America by having guest speakers come into the classroom every Monday during the month of March.
Cintron, a native of Andover, has regularly volunteered at the school over the past six years to encourage students to learn and to broaden their perspectives. He’s done so by reading to them and sharing some of the experiences he’s had in the Navy. Walking through the school’s doors was a true homecoming for Cintron as the occasion provided him the opportunity to read to his little brother, Alexzander’s fourth grade class.
Cintron led the students in the Pledge of Allegiance to start the day, prior to visiting the classrooms to read and provide snacks for them.
School Librarian Marcia Rajaniemi contacted Cintron to see if he could participate in this year’s Read Across America activities.
“I think it’s great for the kids to see someone not only from the military, but from their hometown that they can connect to,” said Rajaniemi. “These kids have been seeing Michael for six years now as he’s come in to read to them, so to them it’s always a big day when Michael comes to read to them.”
“My motivation for doing the things I do, is the opportunity to come home and do these kind of engagements,” Cintron said. “To show this small community that the United States Navy has treated me extremely well. It has given me the opportunities of a lifetime, to be able to travel the world and make my dreams reality. At the same time it’s given me the opportunity to come home and stay active and engaged in the community that I love and cherish.”
Read Across America was launched in 1998 by the National Education Association to inspire a love of reading among children and teens across the United States and is observed in March. Read Across America is guided by a committee of educators and is the nation’s largest celebration of reading.
NTAG New England is responsible for the U.S. Navy’s enlisted and officer recruiting, in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Eastern New York.
| Date Taken: |
03.23.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
04.03.2026 15:15 |
| Story ID: |
561955 |
| Location: |
ANDOVER, MAINE, US |
| Web Views: |
19 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, NTAG New England Recruiter Volunteers during Read Across America Month, by CPO Benjamin Dobbs, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
