Friday’s scene may have been a first at Great Bend schools: Elementary students all over town attended pep rallies to celebrate reading a book.
The much-anticipated One District, One Book literacy program was officially launched at 8:15 a.m. at school assemblies held in all Great Bend grade schools.
A video was shown with USD 428 Superintendent Brad Reed reading the first chapter of “The World According to Humphrey,” by Betty G. Birney.
At Riley Elementary School, children were treated to a surprise visit from a human-sized Humphrey the hamster mascot. They also watched a video where the author of the “Humphrey” series told a little about herself. There are now 10 different books in the series.
“I don’t actually have a real hamster,” Birney said, holding up a hand puppet Humphrey that helps her think and talk like a hamster. She uses her imagination to write stories about how humans might appear to a classroom pet.
“I love the idea of a whole school community reading the same book,” she said.
Riley Principal JoAnn Blevins told children, “Every single one of you in this room today will be getting your own copy of ‘The World According to Humphrey.’ Some of you will get Spanish copies. We want your moms and dads to read with you.”
She also said those who follow the calendar for reading “Humphrey” should be able to answer daily trivia questions, making them eligible for prizes in the coming weeks.
At the start of the school year, students at various schools helped write the verses of a song about the book, and a music video was created. That video was shown at the school assemblies and can be viewed online on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cassM_QzOVo&feature=youtu.be .