In a year where nothing is the same, the Locust Corner Elementary School PTO is finding new and unique ways to enrich students’ lives and also raise much-needed funds.
Forced to cancel its annual Literacy Night and annual Walk-a-Thon for the 2020-2021 school year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the LCE PTO innovated a new activity that combined the best of both events.
This year, LCE students are participating in a Read-a-Thon. Like the walk-a-thon, students secure sponsors for their time spent reading. Unlike the walk-a-thon, this event offers an academic component, said PTO Treasurer and LCE Aide Elisa Metzger.
"Our PTO has worked extremely hard on revamping their annual fundraiser over the years,” Principal Joseph Roach said. “A major goal that we believe we have achieved this year was to make our fundraiser incentives based primarily on academics and effort rather than funds raised."
"It is awesome to see students so excited to pick up a book and read! Any motivation that we can provide to get them to read is very worthwhile."
To participate in the Read-a-Thon, students track their time reading after regular school hours. They can earn prizes for their reading as well, Mrs. Metzger said. Students in grades preschool through second earn a prize for every 45 minutes they read. The older students, grades 3-5, earn a prize for every one hour of reading.
The class that reads the most gets a donut party.
Additionally, there’s an added incentive for staff members who participate in reading. A Ring Doorbell was donated to the PTO. The doorbell will be awarded as a prize to the staff member who spends the most time reading.
“We really wanted to have staff involvement, just to make it more of a community event,” Mrs. Metzger said.
To inspire everyone to read, The PTO purchased T-shirts displaying the words “LCE Reading Rebel.”
The Read-a-Thon will continue up until spring break. The start of the activity coincided with National Reading Week and with the LCE PTO bookfair.