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‘ONCE UPON A TIME:' DMS hosts 5th annual Read Aloud Day (PHOTOS)
Last week, students at Destin Middle School set aside their normal classroom routines for the 5th annual Read Aloud Day. Volunteers, city officials and even a few airmen visited the school to read to the students.
“I am reading ‘Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Ancient Egypt’ by Joanna Cole,” said Lt. Kurtis Semanko. The Air Force engineer from Eglin Air Force Base said his favorite book growing up was “The Outsiders.” He volunteered to read aloud to the sixth grade Advanced World Cultures class after honorary squad commander and DMS principal Diane Kelley asked if anyone was interested.
To see more photos from the day, click here.
“It’s important to see adults enjoying to read,” said Kelley. “(Students) get to hear different genres that can be enjoyed even in adulthood.”
Literacy coach Mary Peterson was also part of the group effort that helped organize the day’s events.
“Reading aloud is good for students of all ages,” Peterson told The Log. “It enables students to hear the rich language of the stories.”
Peterson said books for each reader were selected based on either their careers or the subject of the classroom they were reading to.
Dieter Landsberger, a German during the Berlin Airlift, read a book entitled, “Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot.” The book is based off the true story of a girl during the Berlin Airlift. Landsberger was able to bring together his knowledge of the time along with his experiences.
As well as reading together, students were able to ask each adult reader some questions about their careers.
“The students enjoy the Read Aloud Day and are always very enthusiastic,” said Peterson.
Mayor Sam Seevers read, “The Story of Ruby Bridges” by Robert Coles to Marianne McMichael’s language arts class. The book told the story of a 6 year-old African American girl’s experience in the South during segregation.
“It comes from a different perspective when someone reads to you,” said Mayor Seevers. “It allows students to focus on the story.”
