What do Charlie Brown, cornbread and candy canes all have in common?
Besides starting with the letter “C,” they were all significant elements in three of the eight Christmas books presented during Grenada Upper Elementary School’s most recent educational event, which ushered in the holiday season.
As students and family members entered the fourth- and fifth-grade building, holiday cheer was evident around every corner. Walking down the hallways, festive décor gave visitors a glimpse of more festive scenery to come. Upon entering rooms, the more than 300 visitors were transported into pages of the popular Christmas stories shared throughout the night.
The transformation was part of the school’s second annual Home for the Holidays Family Literacy Event – an evening of holiday read-alouds, snacks and much more.
Principal Carol Tharpe described the Dec. 1 event in one simple word: “Fun.”
“We hope this event promotes positive relationships between students, their families, teachers and community leaders,” she said. “I know that when families, communities and schools work together, students are more successful and the entire community benefits. Each time you read aloud to a child or in a classroom, you offer yourself as a role model and show the importance of reading.”
During Home for the Holidays, eight guests read Christmas stories to students and their parents as they moved from room to room, which were decorated in a variety of Christmas themes ranging from an adorned Cajun bayou to the North Pole. Participants were divided into eight groups with each being treated to four stories read by the guests on separate hallways designated as Hall 2 and Hall 3. Students also received story-themed ornaments following each reading. Elves – teachers by day – then escorted the groups to the next story room.
“We not only want to teach students how to read, but we want them to learn to love to read,” Tharpe added. “This event introduces children to community leaders and allows these leaders the opportunity to share their love for reading.”
The Hall 2 groups enjoyed “Carla and the Christmas Cornbread” read by Grenada County Circuit Clerk Michele Redditt-Garcia, “Red & Lulu” read by Grenada naturalist and artist Robin Whitfield (Mississippi Wildlife Rehabilitation), “A Charlie Brown Christmas” read by Grenada School District Superintendent Dr. David Daigneault (Gabe Day, pianist) and “The Crippled Lamb” read by First United Methodist Church Pastor Daniel Herring. The rooms were sponsored and decorated by the Teacher Academy and the Grenada Career & Technical Center’s culinary department, Friends of Chakchiuma Swamp, Harrell’s Metal Works and First United Methodist Church, respectively.
The Hall 3 groups enjoyed “The Christmas Feast” read by Emily Noble with the Mississippi State University Writing and Thinking Institute, “Charlotte and The Nutcracker” read by Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen Cameron Davis, “The Legend of the Candy Cane” read by Braswell Dental’s David Braswell, DMD, and “Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree” read by Grenada and Yalobusha Supervisory District Conservationist Lee Clark. The rooms were sponsored and decorated by La Bella Fonte Galleria, Grenada School of Performing Arts, Mississippi State University Extension Service Agent Jan Walton and Farm Bureau, respectively.
Tharpe added that parental involvement is key to improving student achievement.
“This event allows parents to join their children and their teachers in an enjoyable and fun setting that is not as structured as the normal school day,” Tharpe concluded. “It allows students to relax and witness those adults whom they admire, enjoy reading a book in an informal setting. It is a creative way to show what wonderful opportunities we offer at this amazing school.”
After all groups finished hearing the fourth story, they visited the school’s library where Santa Claus, who flew in from the North Pole, posed for photos in a living room setting donated by Ashley Furniture Homestore in Grenada. He also presented them with one last ornament, while each student received a goodie bag with a copy of each of the four stories they heard and refreshments were served.
The holiday story-themed event lasted more than two hours.
