On Thursday, March 2, twelve junior and senior National Honor Society Students at King Philip High School read to Wrentham Elementary School students in kindergarten to fifth grade as part of National Read Across America Day, an annual reading motivation and awareness campaign sponsored by the National Education Association.

National Reading Day is recognized nationwide among schools, libraries and communities on March 2 (Dr. Seuss’ birthday).

The NHS students visited 18 classrooms and read various books, including some by Dr. Seuss and the “Amelia Bedelia” series by Peggy Parish, to the elementary school students.

“This was the first time in three years that we were able to host older students for National Read Across America Day,” Wrentham Elementary Principal Kathleen Maloney said. “The NHS students did an outstanding job interacting with and reading to the younger students. We are thankful for their time and look forward to continuing this tradition.”

The students discussed what they read and answered questions about themselves and topics related to the books.

“I remember when I was in elementary school, it was always fun to have the big kids come and do activities with us and I hope the kids I read to had a similar experience,” junior Shaylee Cahoon said. “They were all super nice and really engaged with the books. We had a lot of cool discussions afterward.”

The event was organized by Wrentham Elementary School Secretary Lori Blake, who reached out to the High School with the idea of restarting the program after a hiatus due to the pandemic. Linda Devore, the library assistant, helped facilitate the event.

The time spent at the elementary school counts towards the eight hours of community service NHS students are required to complete to remain in good standing.

“I am so glad that I had the opportunity to share a love of reading and learning with the kids during our time together,” NHS Vice President and senior Charlotte Griffin said. “I also want to thank the Wrentham teachers and administrators for making our visit as enjoyable as possible.”