MANCHESTER – Ridgeway Elementary School students took on the role of being spies on a secret mission for summer literacy. They recently uncovered books of their choice as part of a program that ensured that every student would head into their summer break with books in hand.
The program was at no cost to the school district or families and was inspired by classroom teacher Karen Kelliher after she noticed increased student feedback about limited access to physical books outside of school.
Kelliher, known affectionately by students as “the book lady,” brought the Books Are Fun program to the district. She reflected on the importance of the initiative and the culmination of the effort with the big unwrapping of books by 40 students representing each grade level in the school’s media room. She told The Manchester Times, “I found the program last summer on the internet and I touched base with them and met with them. Whether it was a preschooler or 5th grader, children would go home with a book and this resonated with me because I heard children say, ‘You want me to read over the summer? I don’t have books at home’ and that broke my heart.”
“As an educator and as a mom there is nothing more special than a child opening up that book reading it and talking about it to a parent or sibling. With Book Blast every single student in the entire school will go home with a book for the summer,” she added. The event also brought her husband Board of Education member Mike Kelliher to the event and her son, a township high school student who did some video work of the special event as part of his course work.
Before long it was time for Bubbles the Dolphin, the school’s mascot to enter the room along with other honored guests. Then the countdown began for the big reveal where students unwrapped thousands of new books together in a shared moment designed to build excitement, anticipation, and a positive schoolwide summer reading experience.
Through the Book Blast initiative, Ridgeway Elementary received over $16,000 worth of books. The school community raised $8,320, which was matched dollar-for-dollar by the Imagine Nation Foundation, contributing an additional $8,320 in books.
“We are overjoyed to have this opportunity,” Ridgeway Principal Sarah Thiffault said, crediting Kelliher’s leadership with bringing the program to the school. “We are thrilled that children will leave with books in hand.”
She added, “this initiative truly reflects what can happen when a school community comes together for its students. It is a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish together when our shared focus is supporting student reading and access to books.”
Students who participated in fundraising efforts received additional books based on the amount they raised, with a maximum of 10 books per student.
Superintendent Diane Pedroza said, “the energy and enthusiasm surrounding this initiative have truly been a blast for the Ridgeway School community. More importantly, it reflects our district’s ongoing commitment to strengthening literacy and ensuring students maintain reading momentum beyond the classroom.”
“Imagine Nation Foundation is thrilled to partner with Ridgeway Elementary and Books Are Fun to place new books directly into the hands of these deserving students. For too many children in our communities, a simple lack of access to physical books creates a systemic gap in learning, Imagination Nation Foundation Executive Director Mitch Beckman said.
Beckman said, “we are based in Colorado and we are just blown away by the quality of people at the school and the community. I visit a lot of schools around the country and the caliber of people leading this school is mindboggling. The research is clear: growing up in a book-rich home can propel a child more than three years further in their education.”
Books Are Fun founder and CEO Ben Kaplan said, “we are the company that puts on the Book Blast and we partner with schools all around the country to get books into kids’ hands.” The company has done so for more than 30 years to promote literacy and expand access to books for children. Through its school-based model, the program ensures students receive age-appropriate books in a way that supports engagement and encourages reading at home.
“Essentially it is a conspiracy between us, the publishers, local communities and school leaders to get kids hooked on reading,” Kaplan added. “Seeing the excitement of these Ridgeway Elementary School students as they anticipate the receipt of their own books reinforces our mission to make reading cool again and ensure every child has the chance to discover the magic within the pages of a book.”
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