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Caledonia elementary students read s’more... |
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By Daniel McGonigle
Argus Managing Editor
...and s’more, and s’more and s’more.
In February, the emphasis at the Caledonia Area Elementary schools was on reading.
As part of “I love to read month, 2008,” students at the elementary school tracked how much reading they did as a group and as individuals.
If they met certain reading goals, earning 150 and 300 s’mores respectively, then Elementary Principal Connie Hesse and Superintendent Mike Moriarty would become living s’mores right before the student’s eyes.
The event would culminate in an “I love to read lyceum” on March 4.
I love to read month
Lorene Reining, the school’s media center paraprofessional introduced the ‘I love to read month’ theme as part of the morning announcments, via Caledonia Kid TV, on Friday Feb. 1.
That morning students read the book “Amos Camps Out” and talked about camping, spun it into campfires and tasty s’mores displaying the chocolate syrup, marshmallow cream and graham crackers,” said Hesse. “It was quite entertaining and certainly motivated the students to dig out their favorite books.”
For the week of Feb. 4-8, the students at the school did a “Stop, Drop, and Read.” Everyone, including staff members stopped what they were doing at specific times that week and picked up a book and read.
The week of Feb. 11-15 the school had “S’more trivia.”
The events continued during the week of Feb. 19-22 as the students camped out at the library.
“There were ‘s’more surprises’ that week as well,” noted Hesse.
The week of Feb. 25-29 was also a big success as the school hosted “Rocking Readers.” Several of the students grandparents came and shared their favorite books with the classrooms and continued to inspire the students to read.
“Whether it was the Mama/Papa Kiss the Llama theme in 2005, where Mama Hesse and Papa Moriarty had to kiss the two Zieke llamas, the ‘Plunge into reading’ theme in 2006 where the students in Mrs. Klug’s kindergarten class each threw a ball at the target to plunge us into the dunk tank in early March, or the ‘Crazy Hair Day’ theme in 2007 where our local stylist Nancy Cordes from Nancy’s Solutions created crazy hairdos on both Mike and I, it’s been a fun and motivational way to promote literature with our elementary students,” said Hesse.
How well do you know your s’more trivia?
Students were asked the following questions regarding their knowledge of the tasty treat.
•What are the three primary ingredients needed to make a smore?
•During which month is National ‘S’more day’?
•The “Official s’more recipe was first published in which of the following books: Better Home’s and Gardens, Snack Attack, Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts or Cooking for kids.
•The word ‘s’more’ originated from the combination of which two words?
Names were then drawn from the winning answers and the students were given a prize.
But the real prize for all of the elementary readers
The scene was in the elementary gymnasium. An 8x8 piece of plastic was laid down and taped to the stage floor in the gym.
Class after class were seated on the floor of the gym in anticipation of viewing their principal and superintendent being doused by their fellow classmates in sticky chocolate, marshmallow sauce and graham crackers.
Mr. Moriarty, always willing to help out for such a good cause, wasn’t in his normal suit and tie, but rather, was dressed in an old shirt and old pair of jeans. Mrs. Hesse was in similar dress.
When the first bit of marshmallow sauce was spread upon the green backdrop of Moriarty’s shirt, the student body let out a shriek.
As the messy concoction went through each of its various stages, the application of the marshmallow cream, the application of the chocolate syrup and the placement of the crackers, the shrieks grew louder and the disbelief grew larger.
“Jan Klug, our ‘creative’ kindergarten teacher, came up with the idea of Mike and I having chocolate syrup poured over us, marshmallow cream smeared on, and graham crackers stuck to us if the students reached their reading goals,” said Hesse. “What we won’t do at 511 West Main to convince students to read, read, read.”
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