Northwest United Educators Reading Celebration Held in Rice Lake
Rice Lake Elk’s 1441 and Rice Lake Hilltop Elementary School students
enter a drug awareness poster contest at the annual Reading Celebration.
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The second annual Northwest United Educators (NUE) Reading Celebration - held at Cedar Mall in Rice Lake on Saturday, January 26, 2008 - was well attended by community members and visitors from the surrounding area.
The event featured many initiatives demonstrating educational excellence. The focus was on the love of reading, and provided a learning opportunity to take place outside of the classroom.
Those who attended had the opportunity to view school displays featuring creative projects and hands-on demonstrations. Interactive booths were available for participants to:
- Make their own Dr. Seuss “Cat” hat.
- Fish for books.
- Learn a foreign language.
- Make posters.
- Read with NUE President Steve Perala.
- Learn about the Kinship program.
- Make book characters and talk with Sammy Cedar (events offered by the Rice Lake High School Catharsis Theatre).
- Learn about taking care of finances (offered by members of Sterling Bank and local RCU employees).
Also included for those at the reading party were chances to take a stand to be drug free, donate books to a local literacy project, visit with a book seller and participate in multiple learning situations.
Rice Lake High School Key Club members assisted with set-up and tear down duties, and Barron students portrayed The Cat in the Hat character with special photo opportunities for participants.
Special on-stage musical performances also were part of the celebration along with a free Green Eggs and Ham breakfast sponsored by the local Elk’s Lodge and Lion’s Club community organizations. Free face painting was offered by the Lights Out Boy’s and Girl’s Club members. The Rice Lake Friends of the Library group offered the opportunity to win books, and the Rice Lake Area School District library media specialists demonstrated the I-Safe program with an interactive booth showing programs within the department.
Participants and attendees who registered had the chance to win many door prizes, and each were given a free book, other learning incentives, and food coupons as a souvenir from the Reading Celebration Committee. Ki-Mark studio provided special caricatures for many lucky readers. Delta Kappa Gamma members provided information about the education group and how those interested could become members.
The event was the local kickoff for the national Read Across America event which takes place every year on or about March 2. This year marks the 10th annual celebration of reading and Dr. Seuss’s 104th birthday. NUE teachers and education support professionals appreciate what parents and community members have done to celebrate the event in the past and encourage all education partners to plan now, put aside the many hats they wear for work and play and don the ultimate reading hat - the red and white striped stovepipe hat made famous by the Cat in the Hat - and read with a child on March 2.
The Reading Celebration Committee salutes the following business partners for the financial support and incentives they provided for the event: Adventures Restaurant , Applebee’s, Arby’s, Burger King, Cedar Mall, Elk’s Lodge 1441, Hardees, First National Bank, Koser Radio Network, Lakeview Medical Center, That’s Entertainment, Lion’s Club, Lehman’s Supper Club, Marketplace Foods, McDonald’s, Taco John’s, Viking Coke, and WEAC.
– Submitted by Anne Gallagher
Posted February 12, 2008
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