Flower Hill PARP Culminates with
NHL Hall of Famer
Flower Hill School students always manage to rise to the occasion. This year's Parents as Reading Partners program saw the youngsters read a combined total of 120,253 minutes over the span of two weeks.
"Every player counts…Let a book lead you to victory!" was the theme of the 2013 campaign and visits by two former New York Islanders greats helped drive the point home. Focusing on the values of sportsmanship, teamwork and the importance of each individual's contribution to the team goal, students embraced the theme, and the program, delivering amazing results.
The massive amount of minutes read translates into 2,004 hours or nearly 84 days, according to Maureen Starr who co-chaired the PARP program along with fellow Flower Hill parent Bianca Swaab.
"More importantly, 75 percent of the students participated, which represents an increase of four percent over last year," Mrs. Starr said. "This increase in participation is what PARP is really all about; getting the students interested and involved in reading."
Mrs. Starr and Mrs. Swaab developed a detailed program to get Flower Hill's students excited about reading. They were assisted in their work by many energetic PTA volunteers, particularly Tess Higgins and Christina Kaloudis.
Campaign Kicked Off with Bobby Nystrom
The campaign kicked off with a school-wide assembly that brought retired Islanders star Bobby Nystrom to the school. He spoke with students about teamwork and how it took every player working together for the Islanders to win four consecutive Stanley Cups.
PARP packets distributed to students at the start of the initiative included a calendar of activities, at home worksheets and an individual scorecard for each youngster to record their reading minutes every night. In addition to individual scorecards, every class had a scorecard, too.
Each morning students recorded whether or not they had read the night before. If the whole class read they "scored" a goal, which was then noted on the ice rink bulletin board set-up in the hallway. Weekly activities included a "run and read" relay in gym and Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) time.
Every Wednesday through Friday parent "reading coaches" visited during D.E.A.R. to give a help and encourage students. "This was also an opportunity for the upper grade students to go into the younger classes and help their peers read," Mrs. Starr said.
A series of worksheets to be completed at home was distributed to students, including Make-A-Word Monday, Trivia Tuesday and Word Search Wednesday, to name a few. As an incentive to keep reading and a way to keep the momentum going, each student received a photocopied autographed picture of Bobby Nystrom."
Special Afternoon at Library
A special afternoon at the Huntington Public Library on Main Street was organized to keep enthusiasm running high. The theme of the day was "Score a Goal @ Your Library! Let a Book Lead You to Victory!"
A large crowd of students and parents turned out for the event, which included Principal Marlon Small and several Flower Hill teachers. Students formed small teams and working together agreed on a team name, filled out their scorecard and answered several questions related to four stations of themed books set-up throughout the children's department. Students received a certificate of participation and were entered into a chance to win a raffle prize consisting of a basket of books. The winner was announced over Flower Hill's public address system the next day.
The wrap-up assembly earlier this month was a celebratory affair. Numerous awards were presented and students were given various facts and figures about this year's participation and collective accomplishments.
"We are so proud of you," Mrs. Starr told students at the awards assembly. "You worked together, encouraged and supported each other. That is exactly what we hoped for."
As Mrs. Swaab announced the total minutes read and the participation rate she recognized the youngsters for a "fantastic job." The astonishing amount of time spent reading highlights just how much the students at Flower Hill love books. "You've worked so hard and it shows," Mrs. Swaab said.
Gilles Speaks to Students
Retired Islanders star Clark Gilles, a Hockey Hall of Fame member who played on four Stanley Cup championship teams, came to Flower Hill for the wrap-up assembly to recognize the efforts of students who participated in the PARP program. The hockey great was welcomed as a hero by the youngsters filling the gym.
Each student had earlier been given a small foam "hand" and they held them aloft and chanted "Islanders, Islanders, Islanders" when Mr. Gilles was introduced to the crowd. The still imposing former player brought an upbeat message to the school and congratulated students for responding positively to the reading challenge and sticking with it over the course of several weeks.
Star trophies were awarded to the class on each grade level that accumulated the most reading minutes. Every student who participated in PARP were entered into a raffle, which two youngsters in each of the five grades in the building receiving age appropriate books and an original hand-autographed photograph of Mr. Nystrom, along with a book bag emblazoned with the words, "I love to read."
A grand prize raffle resulted in fourth grader Miles Tierney winning four tickets to an Islanders game along with a hockey puck autographed by Messrs. Nystrom and Gilles.
"The truth of the matter is that all of the students were winners this year as they exemplified true sportsmanship and teamwork," Mrs. Starr said.