Southmoreland Primary Center was filled with excited kids, ready to have fun by listening to their favorite stories, making crafts, and playing games. They were also able to see some of their favorite characters come to life thanks to the high school students.

“I had a room with Alexei Belzer and Alayna Perbonish,” said senior Michaela Burke. “We dressed as ducks. We read ‘I wish that I had Duck Feet’ by Dr. Seuss, and we also made a duck craft.”

“I was Cinderella,” said Loralee Yutzy, a junior, of last month’s event. “I handed out candy and greeted the kids while they changed rooms.”

Teacher adviser Mrs. Jenna Hixson said she enjoyed the evening.

“I spent the whole evening travelling around to our different rooms,” said. Mrs. Hixson. “But I think our three rooms were the best. At that age it’s very important to make it interactive, and I think we did a good job with that and making them exciting about reading.”

Overall, the event was seen as an overall success.

“I think anytime you spend an evening reading with family you have a guaranteed success,” Mrs. Hixson said.

“I do think it was successful,” said junior Jenna Conty.  “The kids gained an insight into literature and a chance to read and meet their favorite storybook characters while being able to have fun and play games.”

The volunteers gave away eight bags of candy and 200 books to the kids that came.

“I think the kids got more reading practice,” Yutzy said. “Socializing skills, hands on work, and learned some new things while having fun.”

Along with reading, the kids could also play games in the cafeteria and get their faces painted.

“We had a guess how many circus peanuts are in the jar competition,” Mrs. Hixson said. “Throw the ring around the ducks, and throw the ping pong ball in the cup. I thought the kids were going to take turns, but when all 30 rings and ping pong balls were being thrown at Ryan Marchewka and Riley Comforti, they decided to put the rings behind the booth and that turned out to be a genius.”

“I painted faces with Brandon Peterson and Larisa Lombardo,” Conty said. “My favorite part of the night was the way the kids’ faces lit up after we painted them. I also liked to see how the kids were able to sit still only whenever they were getting their face painted , but any other time they were running around, playing games, and having fun.”

 

“Four of my favorite things about that night still make me laugh,” Burke said, “The first thing was all three of us walking through the room like ducks and having a blast before the kids got there. The second thing was when Alayna and I were sitting there waiting to read to kids as they were coming in and a little girl sat down beside her friend and as she looked at us she whispered to her friend ‘what in the world are they wearing?’ The third was when this little boy came in and was running around like a duck and jumping around and having a blast with us. He then had the other kids join and they all had so much fun.”

Read With Me Night in SPC “went very well other than Brett Huffman looking like Gene Simmons,” joked Mrs. Hixson.