Octorara Area School District will host its second annual family literacy event, Literacy Under the Lights, on Wednesday, May 31, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be held outdoors on the Octorara Junior-Senior High School track and field, located at 228 Highland Road, Atglen. The program is open to families with incoming kindergartners through sixth-grade students.

During the event, families will travel to different stations around the varsity field to read and do an activity. The stations will be manned by high school students from different athletic teams and clubs. All children must be accompanied by a parent or an adult family member. Participants should bring blankets for seating.

"At each station, the adults or high school students will read a book, and there will be a game afterward," explained Beth Peticca, kindergarten transition coordinator. "There is a big age range, so the books will be short, simple stories - usually funny stories. We will do a lot with animal-themed stories this year, too."

She said that one of the goals of the event is for younger students and incoming kindergartners to become familiar with all the opportunities available to them in coming years. "The little kids in the district can see that they can be on the football team or the tennis team or the newspaper club," Peticca said. "We are trying to get as many clubs and teams as possible (to participate)."

Attendees can travel to the various stations at their own pace. There will also be an opportunity to win prizes.

"New this year is that all of our school nurses will have a health and wellness table together," Peticca added. "They will provide information about healthy lifestyles."

Representatives from local libraries will also be in attendance, including Robbyn Kehoe, director of the Atglen Public Library. "They can promote their summer reading programs," Peticca noted.

The event will also include a kickoff of the school district's Summer Reading Adventure. As part of the program, every student in kindergarten through grade six will receive the same book, "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold, to enjoy with his or her family over the summer.

Peticca explained the outdoor literacy event, which was held the first time last year, was modeled after a similar program in the Pequea Valley School District. "After the pandemic, I just wanted to get people out and reading and spending time with their families," she said.

In the case of inclement weather, the event will be moved into the gym at the Octorara Elementary School. For more information and to register, visit http://www.octorara.k12.pa.us. Walk-ins will also be welcome.