Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/27719
Elsewhere throughout the state: • • • • • • Los Angeles chef and caterer Paul McCullough read to second-graders in two assemblies at Gratts Elementary School, in an event attended by CTA Board member Tyrone Bell. In Riverside, several celebrity readers visited Tomas Rivera Elementary, including Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing from March Air Reserve Base. Hundreds of Compton Unified students from 41 district schools were treated to readings by Hollywood celebrities — including Ana Ortiz of the cast of “Ugly Betty”; Melissa Rivers, daughter of Joan Rivers; and Emma Caulfield of TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” — along with public officials, community leaders and Compton Education Association members. In the Franklin-McKinley School District in San Jose, older students read to younger students at Meadows Elementary School, which also hosted a family reading night featuring children’s writer Marcus S. Marcus, author of The Tiger and the Turtle. In Stockton, students at Ansel Adams Elementary School wore pajamas for story time and held a “book swap” among the many activities to celebrate reading. CTA Board member Toby Boyd and Bobby Weist, vice president of California Professional Firefighters, read to children at Jed Smith Elementary School in Sacramento. ABOVE: PTA parent helper Rachel Guler hands out muffins to three second-grade students at Lakeview Elementary in Lakeside. recuperating children. The facil- ity’s teacher, Lee Anne Gridley, is a member of the San Bernardino County Teachers Association. Vogel concluded the cele- bration by distributing chef ’s hats, which the smiling young- sters and teenagers wore enthu- siastically. “No matter how sick these kids are, you can see the light in their eyes and the hope there,” said Vogel. “We do large and small Read Across America events, but the intimacy of this setting with these kids and their reaction is really uplifting.” Fang attended school in the Loma Linda area. “It’s been a re- ally moving experience to help make these kids feel a little better about being in the hospital,” she said. “Reading is so important and a great way to help them use their imaginations to take them anywhere.” As the morning con- cluded, the young patients lined up eagerly for an autographed do- nated book and a big hug from the culinary star. In Lakeview Elementary School in San Diego County, stu- dents in the first-grade classroom of Lakeside Teachers Association President Cathy Zmijewski were joined by CTA Secretary-Treasur- er Gail Mendes and CTA Board member Jim Groth. After the readings, each student received a white chef ’s hat and a certificate for a free meal, all courtesy of new RAA partner Souplantation. SHERRY POSNICK-GOODWIN MARCH 2011 | www.cta.org 25 CTA photo by Bill Guy