Students, Teachers And The Junior League Of Wilmington Rev Up For Nea's Read Across America Day

Feb. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- (February 25, 2013, Wilmington, NC) This Friday, March 1, 2013, students at Sunset Park Elementary and DC Virgo Preparatory Academy will join millions of their peers across the country to celebrate the tenth annual National Education Association's (NEA) Read Across America Day with the help of the Junior League of Wilmington.

Read Across America Day is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss. NEA's Read Across America Day, which falls on Dr. Seuss's birthday, expects more than 45 million readers, both young and old, to pick up a book and read.

This year as part of their partnership with Sunset Park Elementary and DC Virgo Preparatory Academy, the Junior League of Wilmington has organized the activities for Read Across America Day for the school and invited members of the community to read to the classrooms. The League is also partnering with UNCW’s Youth Programs Department to bring literacy-based activities for students in grades K-2 during their recess.

Sunset Park Elementary Principal, Jakki Jethro remarked, "Sunset Park is so fortunate this school year to have continued a community partnership with the Junior League of Wilmington. These volunteers have made a positive impact at Sunset Park through mentors at breakfast, fifth grade elective classes, pack the park with supplies initiative, a playground improvement plan, and now Read Across America Day. At Sunset Park, we believe Readers are Leaders and Leaders are Readers! This event will be great way to showcase the connection between readers and leaders to our students."

Members of the community who have volunteered their time to come and read to the children include policemen, firemen, UNCW athletes, radio & TV personalities, nonprofit leaders, beauty queens and a variety of vocational careers. Volunteers will read during regularly scheduled literacy blocks on Friday, March 1st from 8:30-10:15am. During lunch, Dr. Seuss’s birthday will be celebrated with cookies donated from Front Street Brewery and cakes donated by Creative Cake Design by Tammy Hodge!

The membership of the Junior League will serve as volunteers for the day to help facilitate the activities and coordinate the community volunteers. All of the volunteers are looking forward to this being a fun and rewarding experience for the children at both schools.

Junior League Community VP, Angie Brewer emphasizes, “Over the years, the Junior League of Wilmington has been a strong supporter of education through the promotion of reading and literacy in schools. This passion for literacy and learning has always been a very important focus. In that spirit, our members wanted to organize an event through our new school partnership that would bring the excitement of reading to the students of Sunset Park and DC Virgo Preparatory Academy.”

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The Junior League of Wilmington is a member of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI), a global organization composed of more than 290 Leagues in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and Mexico, with over 193,000 members. Its' purpose is exclusively education and charitable. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Junior League continues to offer women a unique and powerful way to make a difference, take risks and become community leaders. For more information about the Junior League of Wilmington visit http://www.jlwnc.org.

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, college faculty, school administrators, education support professionals, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. For more information NEA's Read Across America, visit and www.readacrossamerica.org and learn of other reading celebrations that are happening from coast to coast.