New Jersey Sen. Michael Testa, local entrepreneur Maddie McCracken, along with school officials and local public figures, read to elementary students.
Sen. Micheal Testa reading “After the Fall” to Miss DelCorio’s third graders
Cape May Court House, NJ – Local dignitaries, Middle Township School District (MTSD) administrators and many others read books and taught valuable lessons to students at Middle Township Elementary #2 (MTE#2) for the 15th annual World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
Among the readers were Sen. Michael Testa, MTSD Superintendent Dr. David Salvo, MTE#2 Principal Carrie Sinone, and The Step Back Foundation Founder Maddie McCracken, as well as other MTSD administration and former and current students.
Sen. Testa started his reading session with roughly an hour of questions and answers with Miss DelCorio’s third –graders. The inquisitive students asked him a variety of questions like “What is the most nerve-racking part of your job?” and simpler things like “Have you met anyone famous?” Sen. Testa even gave students time to talk about their interests and hobbies, but his main message was tied to the book “After the Fall.” He reiterated during his visit the importance of remembering that when things get hard or you’re faced with a challenge, keep going and never give up.
“Our number one commodity in any state – especially in the State of New Jersey – is our children,” said Sen. Testa. “We get education right. We do a great job of K through 12 education. We’re ranked No. 1 in the United States for a reason and we need to do everything we can to keep that.”
The annual celebration of reading stories encourages students, young adults and others to read aloud to an audience. “These visits from our local leaders, the connections being built, the messages being sent, and the influence and impact being made – it truly makes a difference in molding the young minds of our future leaders,” said MTE#2 Principal Carrie Sinone. “Something as simple as reading with our students will be a memory they have for the rest of their lives. Watching our students become so engaged in the conversation and interacting with one another about reading is such a rewarding thing to see.”
According to Scholastic, a World Read Aloud Day sponsor and the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read-aloud. For the last 15 years, the global effort, which was created by the non-profit LitWorld, is celebrated each year in over 173 countries.