By Erica McLaughlin | Staff Member
The walls of first floor O’Hare were buzzing with culture this weekend because of a special, annual event that is put on by Salve’s own very talented early childhood education majors: March into Reading.
Since October, juniors in the major have been working hard to create a lively, cultural escape for young children around Newport. They have not only spent specific class time on the project, but have put in countless hours of their personal time as well.
This year the students created an underwater room, a rainforest room, and a “traveling with books” room.
The purpose of the event is to allow children to see different types of fiction and build a bond with reading. The students aimed to entertain the young learners and their families with creative displays and information.
Busses were set up for families who did not have transportation to the school and free crafts were offered. The future teachers enjoy spending time with the children and love watching them learn.
Junior major Meghan Leary said, “My favorite part was seeing all the children get so excited when they would first walk into the room while hearing the music and seeing all the decorations. The looks on their faces made all the hard work worth the while.” Clearly, their dedication does not go unnoticed.
This year, Leary worked in the travel room and focused on Mexico for her country. She wore traditional Mexican clothing and created an intricate display of “El Dia de los Muertos,” or the Mexican tradition, “The Day of the Dead.” The students were able to make skeleton masks for themselves at this section.
“March into Reading” is an incredible accomplishment for early education majors. The students begin to prepare for it as sophomores, so that they can learn the concepts before they actually partake in them. The work load is so large that even seniors help. Last year alone 300 people attended. This year proves no different.
This event allows children to connect with reading and spend time with their families while being creative and fun. There were children’s authors signing books for low prices in Jazzman’s, which also was decorated by the majors. Another successful March into Reading has gone by and children are smiling all around Newport.
