Love of reading is in the air in Neepawa
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- Published on Friday, February 17, 2017
By Miranda Leybourne
The Neepawa Banner
“I Love to Read” month is back in Manitoba, and Hazel M. Kellington (HMK) School and the Neepawa Public Library are both excited about the chance to share and encourage a love of literacy for all.
Patrons who stop in at the library will notice that many books have been wrapped in festive red paper as part of a “Blind Date with a Book” campaign. The idea is for readers to choose a wrapped book at random and take it home – a nice surprise that could lead to expanding their literary horizons.
The library is also hosting story time, for children ages two years to school-age, every Friday this month from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., continuing until Mar. 3. Children and their caregivers get to enjoy a story or two, read by local volunteers, a game of eye-spy and a themed craft.
Over at HMK, reading is being celebrated in a big way, as well. Principal Allen Hanke says a committee of staff worked hard to plan “I Love to Read” month and make it fun for children and teachers alike, with special activities and themes.
“The theme...is ‘Reading is Snow Much Fun’,” says Hanke. “We had a kickoff assembly on Fri., Feb. 3 and the whole school got together…[they] spent about 10 minutes just reading in the gym together. It was pretty neat. We had all the kids in there and the big buddies and the little buddies were together and they were reading.”
Hanke says fostering a love of reading in all students is something the Beautiful Plains School District (BPSD) takes very seriously, noting that right from the very start, Kindergarten teachers spend a lot of time reading stories and talking about reading with the children.
“All that kind of stuff, all those pre-reading activities, really...get highlighted pretty heavily in Kindergarten,” Hanke attests. “It’s pretty amazing to see [the kids] acquire that ability to read.”
Kindergarten classes have also been having guest readers come in, including parents, grandparents and special guests, to share a beloved and special story with students.
