Acting Commissioner of Education A. Pender Makin. TIMES RECORD FILE PHOTO
SACO — The Read to ME Challenge, a special event held every February, encourages and celebrates literacy and reading.
This year, the event is extra-special in Saco, as the month-long challenge will kick off at Young School with a visit from acting Commissioner of Education A. Pender Makin.
Makin will launch the campaign Monday morning by reading to students at Young School. When she’s finished reading to students, she will issue a challenge to others, asking them to read to children for 15 minutes, capture the experience with a video or photo, and post the video or photo on social media to challenge others to do the same.
The Read to ME Challenge runs for a month leading up to Read Across America Day on March 2.
Monday’s event will be streamed live on the Department of Education Facebook page, so students and others across the state can listen to Makin read as well.
The Maine Department of Education described the Read to ME challenge as a “simple but powerful campaign” in a press release. School and organizations, are invited to join the challenge and encourage community members to participate. The collective voice of community members, leaders and educators will send a clear message about the importance of reading to children, say DOE officials.
According to DOE officials, reading aloud to children is one of the most cost-effective and highly beneficial methods of building children’s literate abilities.
“The simple act of reading aloud to a child 15 minutes a day for five years results in 27,375 minutes of language exposure which can put children on the path to high literacy achievement. Reading aloud exposes children to the world around them, helps them see reading as an enjoyable and valuable activity and often strengthens bonds with a trusted adult,” according to DOE officials in a written statement.
Makin, 54, lives in Scarborough, and is a Saco native and a Thornton Academy graduate. She has many years of experience in education, including serving as assistant superintendent of Schools in Brunswick. She earned the Maine Principal of the Year award in 2013.
“We are so honored to have her kickoff the Read to Me Challenge with us. When I think of Pender, I immediately think of her connection to students and to colleagues. She leads by example and brightens up any room she enters,” Saco Director of Curriculum and Instruction Julie Smyth. “She knows the importance of relationships and being responsive to student needs, so Young School is a perfect fit for her appearance. ”
Makin is also scheduled to visit Old Orchard Beach High School on Monday to speak with administration, staff and students to talk about the school’s achievements.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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