‘Reading For A Purpose’ Makes A Difference
“We LOVE this program,” said both Tarzana Elementary School Principal Renee Cofield and Title I Coordinator Beth Bacarro. Winding up their fourth Reading Makes A Difference program, Tarzana Titans read 93,551 pages!
“In the past students read because they had to,” observed fifth-grade teacher Patricia Celis. “Now students have a purpose for reading – to help other students feel better.”
Their purpose this year was to give Jester books and dolls to young patients at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Northridge Child Life Specialist Morinsola Keshinro, was delighted to thank participating students for showing they cared for her young patients as she handed out awards to top readers.
The school’s top reader, fifth grader Emerald Medellin Sanchez, who read 16,413 pages in three weeks – tallied a “three-peat,” emerging as a top reader for the third time.
The top-reading classroom award went to Thelma Martinez’s fifth graders who read a total of 33,897 pages.
Teachers all said they looked forward to the program’s coming back next year, including the Pharley Phun for All Art Contest, which students and teachers loved participating in.
Titans Turned Centurions!
The 100th day of school during the 2024-25 school year turned into the celebration of the century at Tarzana Elementary. Lots of students and teachers got into the mood by dressing as though they were 100 years old!
And in this, their third Jester Reading Makes A Difference Read-A-Thon, they had good reason to celebrate – reading 5,240 pages more than they had in their second read-a-thon. Altogether, the Tarzana Titans read a rousing 53,823 pages in three weeks. Extremely proud of them, an anonymous donor gave the top reader in each of the school’s 12 classrooms a $10 Amazon gift card.
“My students loved that they were reading for a cause – to help other children,” reported second grade teacher Lusine Thompson. “They were very motivated.”
Top reader in the school was fourth grader Emerald Medellin Sanchez, who was a repeat winner. This year, she read 5,626 pages in Ms. Inbar’s fourth/fifth grade class and grinned happily as a surprise recipient of a Jester & Pharley Doll. Last year, she was the top reader in her third-grade class!
Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center was delighted to receive the 32 Jester books and 32 Jester & Pharley Dolls donated to their patients from students reading. The hospital’s Child Life Specialists Marissa Lippens, Samantha Haight and Adriana Perez joined enthusiastically in the cheering as they handed out awards to top readers.
“The Jester & Pharley’s Read-A-Thon is one of a kind,” observed TSP/Title I Coordinator Beth Bacarro. “I love to use David’s story to encourage and motivate our students to read books – as well as to show kindness to children in the hospital.”
