Classroom hamster brings families together for One Book, One School

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Since early January students and families at the SeDoMoCha Elementary School had the opportunity to read Betty G. Birney’s “The World According to Humphrey” at home together for the sixth annual One Book, One School — copies of the book were provided by the school. The shared reading program concluded with a celebration on the evening of Feb. 11 with dinner, crafts, games and “Humphrey’s obstacle course.”

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

RUNNING THROUGH A HAMSTER MAZE — Humphrey’s Obstacle Course was one of the activities making up the One Book, One School finale on the evening of Feb. 11 at the SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft. Over the previous month, elementary families read the book “The World According to Humphrey”, which is about a helpful classroom hamster. Families attending the culminating night also enjoyed dinner, could take part in games and create some hamster art projects.

“We had about 250 people in attendance,” SeDoMoCha Principal Julie Kimball said the day after the One Book, One School finale.

During the evening celebration, families arrived and began the program by either enjoying dinner in the cafeteria or taking part in activities in the art rooms, gym or multipurpose room. The entire menu was once again funded in full by the SeDoMoCha School Organization and consisted of pizza sticks and sauce, carrots, broccoli, homemade cupcakes and iced tea. Several items were chosen due to connections to “The World According to Humphrey”, as the title character is a helpful classroom pet hamster.

Many of the students worked up an appetite in the multipurpose room as they ran through the obstacle course while their parents watched from the stage. “Welcome to the hamster cage obstacle course,” physical education teacher Ashley Jackins told the grade 2 participants. He explained the various obstacles resembled the “reindeer training camp” he has them run through in gym class, “but here you just keep going, you don’t start over again to earn the distinction. You just continue on but you try your best.”

The obstacles included the gauntlet, with two older students pushing large balls the youngsters tried to evade, tunnels to crawl through, balance beams, short elevated jumps and a ladder climb. At each stage were volunteers — those helping out across the building included middle-schoolers, members of the Foxcroft Academy National Honor Society and SeDoMoCha staff — to assist.

One Book, One School attendees could also decorate hamster art projects, have their pictures taken in the hamster photo booth and play games such as musical chairs and bowling in the gym. Leading up to Feb. 11 families were encouraged to submit photos of their pets for a collage in the main lobby. “As you could see from our walls last night, there was a wide variety of pets presented from chickens to goats to cats to dogs, etc.,” Kimball said.

Similar to past years, families who read “The World According to Humphrey” at home filled out reading logs as they went through one of the 15 chapters per night. Completed reading logs, which also provide organizers with program data, were entered into a prize drawing with a winner chosen from the various grade levels. Kimball said the winners received a book all about pets.

“We did trivia questions each morning,” Kimball said. “We also had a classroom drawing each day in which a stuffed Humphrey came to visit.”

Kimball said in 2016 grade 3 teacher Jessica Dunton coordinated One Book, One School. “A majority of our elementary staff as well as some of our middle school staff were involved in the entire process,” Kimball said. “We could not do this event without the hands of so many. Thank you to all that were involved!”

She added that school officials are looking to continue the event again in 2017. Kimball said the book choice will be determined at a later time.

The first SeDoMoCha Elementary One Book, One School took place in 2011 as students and families read “A Caste in the Attic” by Elizabeth Winthrop and then enjoyed a medieval feast after they finished the novel. A year later “The Indian in the Cupboard” by Lynne Reid Banks was the program selection and the ending evening event featured a Western motif and activities. In 2013 One Book, One School featured E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and this novel led up to a night at the fair. The year after everyone was off to see the wizard with “The Wizard of Oz” and in 2015 the SeDoMoCha community had a golden ticket with Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

The shared reading experience, which for many of the students includes a parent or someone older, is intended to help students improve listening comprehension, increase vocabulary, understand concepts, lengthen attention spans and create a positive attitude toward books while creating fun and memorable connections to the school community.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

WALL OF PETS — Many SeDoMoCha Elementary families shared pictures of their pets for a collage in the lobby for the One Book, One School finale on Feb. 11. The pet collage included many dogs and cats as well as goats and chickens.