ES Read-A-Thon Kicks Off Island-Themed Reading
From February 24 to March 16, the elementary students embarked on their annual adventure through the pages of beloved books, cultivating a joy for reading during Read-A-Thon 2025. With an island theme that encouraged their imagination, students set aside time daily to celebrate the power of stories.
The event kicked off on Monday, February 2, with students filling the auditorium dressed as pirates, explorers, islanders, or characters from Oz. Fun Fact: Oz is an island country, just like Australia! The assembly introduced this year’s theme, outlined the expectations for the event, and the staff singing group debuted the Read-A-Thon parody song.
During Read-A-Thon, all of the elementary classrooms paused for Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) time. For 20 uninterrupted minutes, students immersed themselves in books of their choice—from graphic novels and chapter books to magazines and nonfiction. Teachers embraced the experience too, reading alongside their students and modeling a love for literature.
Not only was time spent reading, but hallways were also transformed into island landscapes. Classrooms teamed up to decorate the halls with colorful art and 3D elements. The hallway decorating contest added a festive spirit to every corner of the school and culminated in a prize for the winning grade: extra recess and a dress-down day of their choosing. The third grade team took home this coveted prize this year for the second year in a row!
Friday, March 14, marked the final school day of Read-A-Thon and brought with it a day of cozy fun. Students and staff came to school in pajamas for Pancake & Pajama Day, enjoyed a special pancake lunch, and participated in Reading Day—a full schedule of book-related activities.
Finally, on Friday, March 21, the elementary school gathered for a closing assembly that celebrated all that had been accomplished. Students enjoyed the premiere of the Read-a-Thon video, which featured clips of students’ reading moments and teaching teams from each grade level. Contest winners were announced, and raffle prize winners were drawn. There were also Video Book Review Contest winners–students who created one-minute videos reviewing their favorite books–whose winning submissions debuted during the closing assembly.
Then, because students had met the ambitious school-wide goal of turning in 1,163 reading logs, the assembly ended with laughter and chants of “pie them in the face,” as Mr. Benedict, Mrs. Palisuri, and Mrs. Treviño each took a whipped cream pie to the face.
Read-A-Thon 2025 reminded us all that books can transport us anywhere—even to islands full of wonder!