Students challenged to read

By Sandy Morris

Students at Nancy Smith Elementary School have been challenged to read about America during the month of February.

Organized by NSES library aide Megan Henry, fifth and sixth grade students have been encouraged to read a book from the ‘Dear America’ collection in exchange for a Dairy Queen coupon for a frozen treat.

The premise of the challenge is based on a quote by Harry S. Truman which states,  “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

Henry said she first became aware of the series when she read The Journal of Otto Peltonen about a Finnish immigrant who moved to Minnesota.

“My dad emigrated from Finland in the 1940s and settled in Minnesota,” said Henry. “The book and my dad’s story were so similar, even down to names and places that it was almost like reading some of the stories he had told us when we were growing up.”

From that book, Henry has gone on to read many others in the collection which includes stories from history such as the Dust Bowl, Trail of Tears, The Battle of Gettysburg, and a soldier’s World War II journal.

“What I like about the ‘Dear America’ series is that the stories, while fictional, are based on history and told from the perspective of children,” Henry said. “I felt like there is so much going on politically right now that the students need to read stories about how America was founded and the principles on which it was established.”

Henry said a ‘Library Bingo’ activity held recently appealed more to the younger children than the older students, so she starting working on an idea to engage the fifth and sixth graders. 

“I went to Mr. Gallagher and got his permission, then contacted Dairy Queen about rewarding the students with a coupon for a free frozen dessert,” Henry said. “They loved the idea.”  

Henry said the NSES library has about 40 books in the collection and about 20 of the books have already been checked out by students. 

“They say that nobody is a non-reader; they just haven’t found the right book yet,” said Henry. “Hopefully, this series will help students find their ‘right’ book.”

NSES principal John Gallagher thanked Henry for organizing the event.

“We appreciate Mrs. Henry for setting up the challenge and encouraging reading across the entire campus,” said Gallagher.  

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