This new blog from All District Reads will provide regular program updates and features about our work. This article spotlights a wrap-up of our spring programs, a look ahead to fall, and recent media coverage of All District Reads.
Spring Wrap-Up and Fall Preview
“I really liked having a book I could read at home with my kids and discuss it with my class as well. I like how it spanned all grade levels. Friendship According to Humphrey was a perfect story with a good message.” This comment from Erin Collins, a parent and teacher in Northampton Public Schools, pretty much captures the “reading vibe” that the All District Reads program spread across four school districts in southeastern Virginia this spring.
All elementary families in Suffolk Public Schools read School Days According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney this spring, while elementary families in orthampton County Public Schools read Friendship According to Humphrey by the same author. Elementary families across Norfolk Public Schools read Frindle by Andrew Clements. Families of sixth-grade students in Portsmouth Public Schools shared the adventures of Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire by Sundee T. Frazier.
In participating All District Reads communities, all elementary families read and discuss a chapter of the chosen book together each night over a period of three to four weeks. Families receive free copies of the chosen book, as well as a free parent’s guide. Schools build interest by holding daily trivia contests and sponsoring a variety of special activities. The program is administered by the nonprofit All District Reads organization, based in Norfolk.
The program is funded by local businesses, grants, and private individuals. In some cases, districts use Title I funds to help pay for the books. Meanwhile, Community Champions such as local Rotary Clubs support the program by labeling books, doing recorded readings of book chapters, and going into the schools.
Students love the experience! A student at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Suffolk built a house for the small stuffed Humphrey that accompanied the district-wide reading of School Days According to Humphrey. The student included a note: “Love yourself for who you are. Thank you for being kind.” Meanwhile, Madeline, a sixth-grade student in Northampton, said, “I liked the story. It was cute. I liked reading Humphrey as a family.” Educators love the program, too. Dr. Elie Bracy III, division superintendent for Portsmouth Public Schools, commented in a Facebook post: “The doors of literacy open new worlds of possibility for readers—no matter what age. This is an opportunity for students and families to read together a fun and entertaining book and, as a result, hopefully inspire further experiences at home to support young readers.” This spring, all sixth-grade families in Portsmouth read Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire.
This fall, elementary students and their families in Northampton County Public Schools will read The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. Families in Portsmouth Public Schools and Norfolk Public Schools will read School Days According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney, and families in Suffolk Public Schools will read The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. Watch for further details about these fall programs as they become available.
All District Reads Grabs Media Spotlight
Word continues to spread about All District Reads. On June 6, All District Reads Founder Gary Anderson and ADR Executive Assistant Mike Dillender were interviewed for a segment of WTVZ’s Our Issues Hampton Roads by program host Rae Pearson. The program airs from 6:00 to 6:30 a.m. on August 11 and September 15. If you can’t watch at those times, you can access the program on YouTube at these links (the program is broken into three segments):
Segment 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlUltzZknxo
Segment 2: https://youtu.be/Ksz_qtU_k48
Segment 3: https://youtu.be/SQjDpwunpcE.
In addition, All District Reads was featured in the spring edition of Boulevard Magazine. Read the full article here: https://issuu.com/blvdberry/docs/blvd_feb-apr_2024. In addition, four members of the Cape Charles Rotary Club who recorded chapters of Friendship According to Humphrey were featured in a front-page article in the Eastern Shore Post on May 17 with illustrated thank-you cards they received from students in Northampton County Public Schools. See the article here: Eastern Shore Post 5.17.24.pdf.