Penn Manor School District willl bring its annual Readathon program to each of its elementary schools beginning on Thursday, Feb. 9. The Readathon events will be held twice at each participating school from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and will conclude with the last session on Friday, March 24. The events are free to participate in, but parents must register their children beforehand.

Readathon began almost two decades ago as an initiative from the Penn Manor Education Association, and it was made possible by a grant from the Penn Manor Education Foundation. Parents brought their kids to the high school to participate in reading-related activities and high school students read aloud to the children, after which parents picked their children up again. The event served as part of a nationwide campaign to encourage students to read.

Civitas, a community service club, at Penn Manor High School decided to bring the Readathon to the elementary schools so that kids could simply stay after school to participate, and parents would only need to pick them up once. Civitas hosts the event at each school twice, allowing students to complete a reading calendar between each visit. Students who complete their reading calendar receive a prize upon the second visit.

Aside from encouraging younger kids to read, Readathon also serves as an opportunity for high school students to gain experience working with children and organizing activities. The event is almost entirely run by student volunteers from Civitas as well as students from the National Honor Society. The high school students choose which book they will read to the younger students. They then set up and operate the activities, such as designing a craft for kids to make that relates to the book they will be reading.

Volunteers have to work within a budget, manage time and scheduling constraints, acquire and prepare supplies and strategically plan their activities and snack breaks. If one activity is more hands-on and keeps the kids active, the volunteers make sure that the next activity will allow the kids to sit down and rest.

"I think the organizational aspect is beneficial for them," said Jen Kroesen, a math teacher at Penn Manor High School and adviser for Civitas. "They have to think of classroom management and being enthusiastic, but also being a good mentor and a role model for the kids." Kroesen's fellow math teacher, Sarah Stover, serves as her co-adviser for Civitas.

To register a student for Readathon, visit https://tinyurl.com/readathonPM.