Lawrence educators step into the reading characters

Lawrence Elementary School Assistant Principal Jacqueline Beckmann just did not roll out a schoolwide reading challenge last month. She and teachers Theresa Degan and Shirley Warren dressed as characters from books to spark student interest in reading on March 22.

Beckmann donned the clothes of Madeline, Degan dropped into school as Mary Poppins and Warren dressed as Annabeth Chase from the book, “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”

The costumed educators kicked off the Million Minute Reading challenge. Principal Rina Beach said that, “Our goal is to motivate our learners to read, in school, on the bus, at home and wherever they go. We hope to spark their imaginations though books so that they will read over the vacation and beyond.” 

As a prize, each week one class on each grade level will earn an extra recess. Halfway to a million, there will be a surprise coordinated by Beckmann and “an even bigger surprise,” Beach said when a million minutes is reached.