Reading program finale is much more than fair to midland

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — For the third year in a row SeDoMoCha Elementary School students and families have spent about a month reading a book together, as over the last few weeks they read E.B White’s novel “Charlotte’s Web” at home through the One Book, One School program — copies of the novel were provided by the school. On the evening of Feb. 13 the conclusion of the shared family reading was celebrated with a program featuring games, crafts, dancing and food.

    HELLO WILBUR — SeDoMoCha Elementary was decorated for the One Book, One School finale on the evening of Feb. 13 with the motif resembling a fair, including a wooden cutout of Wilbur the pig from the novel “Charlotte’s Web.”

    “It went really, really well, we had a little over 300 participate,” literacy teacher Carolyn Clark said after the One Book, One School finale. “It really went with a fair because that’s where the book ended.”

    On Feb. 13 students and their families arrived at the school at 5 p.m. and then divided into groups of grade levels (families with multiple children could choose which grade path to follow) to take part in the different activities in four 25-minute sessions. In the cafeteria those in attendance enjoyed a meal of corn dogs, French fries, corn on the cob, watermelon, carrots and whoopie pies, items Clark said are all fair foods. The cafeteria tables were decorated with red and white checkered table cloths to further create a fair-type atmosphere.

    “For crafts they made pig noses and they also painted paper plates for Wilbur,” Clark said about the book’s pig protagonist. The crafts, which were made in the art room, teachers’ room and the main lobby which was decorated to resemble a barnyard with wooden animal cutouts and banners saying “Off to the Fair” and “Zuckerman’s Farm,” included making replicas of Charlotte the spider as well as sheep with string for webs and cotton for the wool.

    “Dancing was a big hit,” Clark said. “(Physical education teacher Ashley Jackins) put it together and said this what they did back in the day.” She said that grade 4 teacher Audrey Noether and her band Nite Boat provided music as students and families had the opportunity to see a dance demonstration and then could join in.

    DANCING AT THE FAIR — The third annual One Book, One School program, in which students and families read “Charlotte’s Web Together”, at SeDoMoCha Elementary in Dover-Foxcroft concluded with an evening program on Feb. 13. The festivities included a meal, games and crafts and dancing as physical educator teacher Ashley Jackins’ grade 5 students provided a lesson before those in attendance were encouraged to join in. Music for the dancing was provided by grade 4 teacher Audrey Noether and her band Nite Boat.

    With a group of his fifth-grade students present for the lesson, Jackins told the first gathered group, “They are going to model music they have been practicing, then they are hoping you are going to join them. We are going to be starting out this evening with a Contra dance called the Vaughn Rail.

    “It was all about family and it was all about fun,” Jackins said as dances served as social gatherings for all ages. “This is one set and afterwards we would like to have two sets with many of you as well.” As the three-piece Nite Boat played, the fifth-graders provided a demonstration and then a few minutes later members of the audience joined in and quickly got the hang of things as they all clapped, stomped and danced together.

    In the gymnasium were several games to participate in, with the art teachers lending their talents for face painting. One table featured bingo, with both letters and numbers, while the room featured other fair games such as fishing, pulling up plastic fish with magnets that contained instructions for charades as parents tried to guess what their children were doing, and a bean bag toss.

    Clark thanked all the volunteers who helped make the One Book, One School finale come to fruition. “The secretaries got a lot of the materials for the crafts, the (SeDoMoCha School Organization) provided money for food and the teachers helped make the crafts and activities and helped run the whole night,” she said, also thanking school administrators for allowing the program to happen. “A lot were giving of their time, their energy and excitement, and really made for a great night.”   

    Following the kick-off night on Jan. 9, which included a read aloud and skit from the book, students and families read a chapter of “Charlotte’s Web” together per night. The following day Principal Julie Kimball had a trivia question from the previous evening’s chapter in the morning announcements for something “to talk about in class” Clark said before the answer was revealed later in the day.

    She said a replica of the character Templeton the rat went around to the various classrooms, staying with each for a day to help build the excitement. As the families read at home they filled out reading logs which were brought in to be entered in a prize drawing. Clark said winners were drawn from each grade level with winners receiving a pair of books, with the age-appropriate selections all having to do with animals such as E.B White’s book “Stuart Little” with a mouse as the title character.

    The SeDoMoCha School Organization later sponsored a screening of “Charlotte’s Web” at the Center Theatre, which was scheduled for Feb. 17 but snow pushed the showing back to Feb. 22 during the day.

    Clark said SeDoMoCha officials are planning to have One Book, One School take place again next year, with the program’s book to be determined.

    This was the third year SeDoMoCha Elementary students and families took part in a shared reading program as in 2011 they went through “A Castle in the Attic” by Elizabeth Winthrop and concluded the program with a medieval feast and last year the western motif of “Boone’s Famous Supper” concluded the reading of Lynne Reid Banks’ “The Indian in the Cupboard.” One Book, One School is intended to create a shared reading experience within the entire elementary school community. The hope was for a parent, or someone else older, to read to the students to help the pupils improve listening comprehension, increase vocabulary, understand concepts, lengthen attention spans and create a positive attitude toward books.