That literacy is a crucial personal trait is a widely-embraced truth and nearly indisputable. But for children, it’s not just being able to read that important – it’s being read to. To encourage and celebrate reading aloud, Tharptown Elementary School joined millions of people across the globe in observing World Read Aloud Day.

The faculty, staff, and students at TES participated in World Read Aloud Day Feb. 16. Several activities were planned throughout the school day, according to TES reading specialist Susie Stockton.

“Students had a special read aloud time with their library books, trade books or Accelerated Reader books, reading aloud to themselves or to each other as soon as they arrived to school. They were so excited to get to read out loud in the hallways,” Stockton said. “Jonathan De La Rosa, a first grader, read aloud a trade book on the intercom so that everyone on the school campus could listen to him read with expression.”

In addition, Stockton, along with Principal Ann Scott and assistant Principal Jonathan Odom, visited classrooms and read to students throughout the day.

“Many students had opportunities to have extra time in the classroom to read books from many genres and participated in special reading activities,” Stockton added. One activity was even schoolwide. “Each student, Pre-K through 6^th grade, made a card with their favorite book title and drew a picture about it. The cards will be used to make a ‘story quilt’ for each grade level. The story quilts are displayed throughout the campus.”

Learning to read, Stockton emphasized, is “one of the best things in life.”

“‘The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you,’ by B.B King is one of my favorite quotes,” Stockton said. “At TES, our goal is to have students who are eager to read, eager to learn and eager to make good choices that will stay with them throughout their years in school and furthermore in life as confident and successful citizens.”

Of course, Stockton pointed out, reading isn’t just a one-day-a-year activity. Literacy is a constant focus, particularly as TES works to give young students a good foundation for their educational pursuits. Stockton said the faculty and staff at TES focus on “helping our students achieve their reading goals by implementing explicit instruction in whole group, small groups and one-on-one instruction,” Stockton said. “The ability to read opens countless doors of exploration and learning each day … (and) will lead to a natural tendency to think and observe, as well as promoting a better understanding of how the world works.”