CEA-Advisor_April-2023-issue_web

READING

16 CEA ADVISOR APRIL 2023

HAMDEN STUDENTS CELEBRATE READ ACROSS CONNECTICUT WITH BOOKS AND BASKETBALLS At Ridge Hill School in Hamden, students had a ball celebrating Read Across America, thanks to a Amity teacher Peter Downhour serves on the CEA Board of Directors but visited Ridge Hill School in his role as a member of the Hamden Board of Education. “Celebrating something as fundamental as reading is core to what we do in education,” he said. State Rep. Mary Welander, who serves on the

partnership between CEA’s charitable arm—the Connecticut Education Foundation (CEF)—and the Connecticut Sun professional women’s basketball team. The weeklong celebration, which reached more than 1,000 first- and second-graders across all nine Hamden elementary schools, was all about linking a love of athleticism with a love of reading. Students had the opportunity to select new, free, sports-themed books of their choice to take home, along with bookmarks, reading certificates, word searches, and a flier for parents with tips on engaging children in reading at home. “This week is about getting kids excited not only to work their brains but also their bodies,” said CEA Vice President and CEF President Joslyn DeLancey, explaining that Hamden students were treated to a basketball clinic and a week of read-alouds with local celebrities. UConn hoops legend Morgan Tuck, now the assistant general manager for the Connecticut Sun, was on hand to go through dribbling, passing, and shooting drills with students, read books to them, and answer questions about her own love of reading. “We wanted students to celebrate reading in a new and creative way, looking at it as—you don’t have to be one identity as a learner,” DeLancey said. “Sometimes kids feel like they have to be either an athlete or a student, and this bridges the gap between having fun outside of school and being a good learner inside of school.” “I wasn’t always one who really enjoyed reading, but what helped me was reading a lot of different kinds of books,” Tuck told students. “Now I’m into science fiction. Just try something. Pick up a book. Maybe someone recommends one, and once you try it, you might find it really hard to put it down, and that just makes you want to read even more.” Building the joy of reading “It’s always a fun week, but it’s extra fun to be able to come back to your own elementary school,” said Laura Hutchinson, a Channel 8 News anchor who read aloud Jabari Jumps to students at West Woods. The picture book by Gaia Cornwall describes how one young boy overcomes his fears and works up the courage to leap off a diving board for the first time. “I remember when I was a student here and someone from News 8 came and talked to us, and I felt inspired to go into the field I’m in now,” Hutchinson recalled, telling West Woods first graders, “I hope you’re all following your hopes

Education Committee and Children’s Committee, visited a number of schools, including Ridge Hill, to promote a love of reading on Read Across America Day. “I love reading, and I will do anything I can to help kids support their love of reading. This is a fantastic day!” she said, watching a group of preschoolers practicing basketball drills. “Reading opens up new worlds to kids. It gives them opportunities to learn about people who are like them and also about people not like themselves, and it sets up a foundation of curiosity and excitement about the world around them. It gives them an opportunity to imagine. The earlier we can get kids set and excited about reading, the better.” State Senator Jorge Cabrera also read to students in many schools on Read Across America Day and explained why he prioritizes encouraging kids to read. “I was a big reader when I was in school, and it changed my life, so I know how magical that can be for kids.” Cabrera said that with all of the access today’s children have to technology, it’s more important than ever for children to learn the joy of sitting down in a quiet place with a good book. “We need to continue to support our public schools; that’s what I’m going to continue to do in the legislature,” Cabrera said. “I think

State Rep. Mary Welander, pictured here with CEA Vice President and CEF President Joslyn DeLancey, visited a number of Hamden schools on Read Across America Day.

Joslyn DeLancey and the Connecticut Sun’s Morgan Tuck answer students’ questions about how reading has influenced their lives.

it’s really important that we fund our public schools fully and make sure our educators have everything they need to educate the next generation of kids in this country.” Visit cea.org/ct-sun clinic-contest for a chance to win a free Connecticut Sun basketball clinic at your elementary school.

Channel 8 News anchor Laura Hutchinson returned to her former elementary school, West Woods, to read to students.

and dreams as you think about what you want to do when you grow up.” “Especially for our youngest kids, developing that love of reading is so important—it’s not just a skill, it’s about enjoyment, it’s about building that joy in reading,” said Shelby Irwin, Hamden Education Association vice president and a fifth-grade teacher. “The more kids do something fun and connect that to a love of reading, the more exciting reading becomes, and the more they see those worlds interact.”

Following a read-aloud by Morgan Tuck, students at Ridge Hill School in Hamden kept the fun going with a series of basketball drills.