Wild about reading: Frank Porter Graham Elemetary holds annual read-a-thon

Fifth-grader Bonnie Stolt says she has been reading at least 100 minutes a day since her elementary school began its 14th annual Read-a-thon.

She and the rest of the students at Frank Porter Graham Elementary School are aiming to read that much everyday from Jan. 20 to Feb. 3. Their effort is part of a two-week fundraiser that brought local celebrity guest readers to the school for a special event Wednesday night.

“It really gets people to read, considering the fact that most of the boys usually just play video games,” Stolt said.

The school’s overall goal is to read for a total of 680,000 minutes. Each student has a reading log to keep track of their minutes.

“This sells itself,” Assistant Principal Crystal Epps said. “Kids look forward to it every year.”

This year’s total number of minutes will be calculated in either March or April, said Kathy Irvin, co-chairwoman of the fundraiser.

During the Read-a-thon students ask neighbors, friends and family members to pledge a set amount of money per minute or contribute a one-time donation at the end of the fundraiser.

Last year, the school raised more than $13,000, and the goal for this year is to maintain or exceed that amount, Irvin said.

The money raised goes to the PTA, which plans to use it to purchase items for the students including a new sound system for the gym.

“It goes to some pretty important things that, in these tough times, are difficult to buy,” Irvin said.

Parents and children all said they were excited about the Read-a-thon.

Wednesday’s Read-a-thon event had a “Go Wild for Reading” theme that included a petting zoo in the science lab and jungle-style decorations.

“I really like ‘Jessica’s Jungle,’” student Lorelei Pyun-Christian said of the display.

The school also invited local “VIP” readers, including former UNC and NBA basketball player Eric Montross, Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton and Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, to read aloud at the event.

“I had a hard time learning to read as a child, and my grandma who was a school teacher helped me learn,” Chilton said. “I do this in memory of my grandma.”

Montross stressed the importance of books to the students at the end of his reading.

“I know movies and video games are fun, but when you read you can imagine things,” he said. “Sometimes movies don’t do the trick,”
Montross said he loves reading to the students at the school because his own children went there.

“My favorite part is watching the kids’ eyes go wide,” he said.
Reader and former chairman of the Read-a-thon Glenn Simon said the event brings back memories.

“I used to read aloud to my kids, and I know it was always an attention-getter for them,” he said. “It helped them focus and worked on their verbal skills. I love revisiting that with the children.”

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