Distinguished Guests Lend Talents During National Young Reader’s Day

Dr. Hairston relates the story of “Franklin’s Reading Club” to kindergarten children in Pat Shank’s class at Norwood Elementary School.

Listening intently as Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston read a book to her kindergarten classmates recently, Tory Smith was impressed: How did this man know so much?

Pausing from the text of “Franklin’s Reading Club,” Dr. Hairston related the excitement Franklin feels in the book to his young audience. “I know you get excited before you go to recess,” he said. “I know you’re that way before gym time. And I know you feel that way before lunch.”

Thinking about this for a moment, Tory wondered aloud: “How do you know where we go?” Tory’s teacher, Pat Shank, put a finger to her lips as Dr. Hairston resumed the story. For Tory and her friends, National Young Reader’s Day at Norwood Elementary School in Dundalk had plenty of minds thinking.

Dr. Hairston enjoyed his stint as a guest reader at Norwood Elementary School.

“The purpose of the day is to get across the message that reading is something we do not only in school but for the rest of our lives,” said Norwood Principal Harry Walker. “It’s real easy making that connection when we have such wonderful guest readers come to read for the children.”

Indeed, Dr. Hairston’s appearance in Pat Shank’s kindergarten class was just one of 12 “celebrity guest” readers throughout Norwood Elementary. Joining him for a day of reading and learning were a variety of other local luminaries, including Baltimore Sun columnist Gregory Kane, Baltimore County Councilman Johnny “O” Olszewski, and Mary Lewis, mother of Baltimore Raven’s running back Jamal Lewis and co-founder of Another Love for One.

“We also have some of our teachers serving as guest readers,” said Mr. Walker. “They are real heroes, too.”

National Young Reader’s Day was founded in 1989 by Pizza Hut, BOOK IT, the National Reading Incentive Program, and the Library of Congress. While Norwood had hosted other guest readers before, this year was the first time the school had participated in a coordinated event under the auspices of the National Young Reader’s Day.

Serving as a guest reader allowed visitors like Dr. Hairston to model the importance and enjoyment of reading.

The presence of so many distinguished visitors also lent a festive air to Norwood’s day. For Ms. Lewis, students donned all manner of Ravens shirts, jackets, and other gear. And when Staff Sergeant David Rosendale of the Army National Guard arrived to read to his son’s first grade class, he brought with him a really cool Army Humvee for students to sit in and inspect.

“Oh yeah, I get a lot out of coming here to read,” said Sgt. Rosendale, who was a guest reader last year when his son, Chase, entered kindergarten. “But I think it’s important for parents to get involved, too. My son’s here, and so I was going to be involved no matter what. And it’s nice that I can do something to let him be a little bit proud of me.”

In Pat Shank’s class, meanwhile, Dr. Hairston was finishing his story about Franklin’s reading club. Her students had been excited about Dr. Hairston’s arrival, Ms. Shank said, asking her questions about “the person who’s the boss of Mr. Walker.”

For Dr. Hairston, himself a former elementary school teacher, the opportunity to read during an event like the National Young Reader’s Day was not only fun but served an important purpose. “Children need to have adult models, and if we talk about the importance of reading, we need to model that importance for them,” he said. “It’s all part of the learning process.”

Brooke Henderson just appreciated the story he read. “I liked him. He read good,” the 5-year-old said. Dr. Hairston’s coming to her school to read, she added, “makes me feel happy.”

And if Tory, Brooke, and their classmates found Dr. Hairston remarkable, he found the kindergarteners to be no less impressive.

Norwood Principal Harry Walker sits among students and listens as Dr. Hairston reads.

“Why do I get the impression they are really smart?” he asked Ms. Shank as students kept anticipating the next twist in Franklin’s story. “You are so positive,” he added, turning to the children. “You are so smart!”

“We already know our alphabet!” called out one student. And with that, Tory, Brooke, and their friends began reciting what they had learned and showing the Superintendent of Baltimore County’s schools just how far they had come.

Story and Photos by Charles Herndon Communications Officer