AES Reads…Together
GUAM – Andersen Elementary School recently hosted an exciting reading program for the school and families to read together.
The selected book remained a mystery for all AES students until the big reveal!
On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, AES’s PTO organized a pep rally for the entire school to attend. Students entered the gym full of wonder, and soon excitement began to stir.
“The pep rally is the best,” said PTO co-president, Mrs. Brammer. “I love the anticipation. All of the students know they are finally going to know what book we are reading and it feels electric. Plus, it's so fun!”
The pep rally began with Mrs. Brammer and the principal, Mrs. Borgert, explaining what to expect. Then the games began centered around the book. One game was the horse race where children galloped around a cone in hopes of being the first back to their team. The crowd cheered for friends and classmates as they completed the race.
A few AES students acted out a short play to represent the book that PTO chose. The students in the audience had to try to guess what the book was from the clues in the play. Then, PTO started a countdown from 10 while students joined in. Finally, as the countdown was over, PTO pulled off a sheet, uncovering the giant version of the mysterious book cover. The room roared with excitement when the students saw the book, The Tale of Despereaux!
Mrs. Borgert chose this book for all students in grades Pre-K through fifth grade to enjoy.
“I selected The Tale of Despereaux based on a couple of things: it was a winner of the Newbery Award,” Mrs. Borgert explained. “The Newbery Award is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. I always made sure my family library and my classroom library included the award-winning book each year. Secondly, I’ve read this book out loud to a couple classes and it’s been a fan favorite!”
AES PTO (Parent Teacher Organization), worked hard to prepare the reading program events and readings for the Dolphin students. Each family in the school received one copy of the book so that students could enjoy reading together as one school.
For everyone to be together in the same place in the book at the same time, there were assigned chapters to be read on certain days. There was also an option for students to listen to people read the book to them on the AES YouTube page. There were special guests reading the chapters from not only the school, but also around the base including Gen. Thomas Palenske.
“I volunteered to read a chapter from the Tale of Despereaux because I think it’s so important for our students to see that teachers love reading and learning as much as they do,” said AES teacher Mrs. Iglesias. “In doing so, my hope was for students to discover a love for reading, through this reading program, and that they are supported by everyone involved in their learning.”
There were also many fun activities surrounding the theme of the book while it was being read. There were assigned dress up days which were based on special characters or key events.
“We wanted the students to be involved in the program and it’s fun to dress up,” Mrs. Brammer said. “For example, in the story there are heroes and villains. One of the dress up days was to dress like a ‘Hero or Villain’ from the book. Another day, students dressed up like ingredients from the soup in the book! It was so neat to see a teacher dressed like a carrot and even a girl’s hair that looked like soup noodles coming out of a cup!”
After completing the book, AES held an opportunity to watch the movie after school. AES students and their families were invited to sit in the school’s Dolphin Theater to watch The Tale of Despereaux in the movie form. As families came in, they saw the movie on the large screens and the smell of buttery popcorn lingered through the air. Families were excited to bring their lawn chairs and comfy blankets so they could be comfortable while watching the movie they had completed reading, together. They were able to bring their own dinner, drinks, and favorite movie snacks. AES PTO even provided freshly popped popcorn so everyone could enjoy the movie with a delicious treat! It was a great celebratory event to end this awesome program for the year.
The reading program made reading fun and interactive for students – and the community – to enjoy.
“We loved seeing the students enjoy the book… It's my favorite program we do all year long,” Mrs. Brammer said. “I really love books and I love the community aspect of this program. It helped show the AES students that reading is for life.”
It is so amazing how one book can gather so much excitement! AES reads….together.
