January 21, 2009

School District No. 23 Attempts to Set a New World Record in Literacy

KELOWNA, BC: A love of reading at a young age can improve a child’s reading ability and future academic achievements so it’s no surprise that teacher-librarians are doing all they can to foster literacy.  To this end, some District teacher-librarians are leading the charge to break the Guinness World Record™ for “Most Children Reading with an Adult, Multiple Locations” to celebrate Family Literacy Day.  The last time there was an attempt to break the record in 2006, the U.S. succeeded with more than 79,000 participants.  Wendy Beaudoin, the teacher-librarian at Bankhead Elementary, challenges other schools and other Districts to take part and capture the record for Canada.

“This is fun event for Family Literacy Day coordinated by the ABC Literacy Canada Foundation,” says Beaudoin.  “Schools have the chance to win $1,000 in three categories depending on the student population and the percentage that participates.  The world record is the incentive, but regardless of whether we win, it will still have achieved our goal of offering children an enjoyable literary experience.”  Almost the entire student population at Bankhead will participate on Jan. 23 from 12:45 – 1:30 p.m.  Special guests include former Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray, retired teachers and a local firefighter who will be readers, and Rolli Cacchioni, Chairperson of the Board of Education, who will serve as one of the witnesses.

According to the Guinness rules, there must be one adult reader for every 35 children and an independent witness for every 100 children.  The reading takes place between 2:00 p.m EST on Friday, Jan. 23 and 2:00 p.m. EST on the following day.  Children are required to listen quietly for 30 minutes while an adult reads.  Across Canada, all participants will be reading the same five books by well-known author Robert Munsch.  His stories are typically humorous, fantastic tales in which children take center stage as hero and more.  Schools have until January 22 to register for the world record attempt through www.abc-canada.org.  So far, at least three schools are scheduled to participate including Bankhead, Black Mountain and South Kelowna.

Misty Smith, the teacher-librarian at South Kelowna, is organizing her school’s event involving approximately 300 students.  “I think it’s important that adults are reading in this event because they are role models for children.  Adults are the ones purchasing the books for their children and they can have a significant impact on their reading habits.”  For parents looking for books their children will appreciate, Smith recommends they visit www.redcedaraward.ca/.  Red Cedars Awards are voted on by young readers across British Columbia.  Smith and other District teacher-librarians make a point of stocking their libraries with these books and find they are popular choices.

Approved by the Superintendent on January 21, 2009

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For comments, please contact:

Wendy Beaudoin, Teacher-Librarian, Bankhead Elementary, (250) 763-2603

Misty Smith, Teacher-Librarian, South Kelowna Elementary, (250) 861-1122

Mike Roberts, Superintendent of Schools (250) 860-8888

For background information: please contact Lisa Harrison lharriso@sd23.bc.ca or 470-3284.