This year’s Elementary School Literacy Festival celebrated literacy diversity, and the day was buzzing with favorite book characters as students, faculty, staff, and volunteers dressed up like favorite book characters for the day! The Literacy Festival Team, Caroline Miller, Sophia Moros, Zoe Karatza, and Sophia Tsinakis, hosted an exciting event-filled day with a variety of centers designed to “Celebrate Literacy Diversity”. Celebrating literacy diversity is important as it encourages students to build compassion and empathy for others as they gain a better understanding of their own culture while learning about new cultures.  

Every center was carefully designed to expose students to an assortment of stories while parent volunteers kept our students hydrated with fruit juices and water as they traveled from station to station.

Students had the opportunity to listen or read stories in an interactive way, either through the “Story Walk” on the early childhood playground, hear a read-aloud at a “Picnic Stories” location, or review various new titles with “Book Trailers” in the technology room. Students even participated in a “STEAM Literacy” using investigations from Hamilton House Publishing’s nonfiction leveled books. 

Hamilton House Publishers joined the event and showed our early childhood students a few behind-the-scenes tips for making their new book character, YETI. YETI made a cameo appearance and was joined by our beloved Conscious Cub, who together led students through song and dance before groups moved to different stations. 

The day ended with intermediate grades taking part in “Media Literacy,” where students viewed an animated short film called “The Wrong Rock.”

The Elementary Literacy Festival Team would like to extend their appreciation to everyone who participated in this beautiful day of literacy. Every bit of help, enthusiasm, and imagination made all the difference.