Literacy Day Brings School Community Together to Celebrate Storytelling and Service
The day tied in an all-school service initiative circled around the theme of empathy and “walking a mile in someone’s shoes,” inspired by the children’s book Those Shoes.
St. Margaret’s 8th annual Literacy Day celebrated reading, writing, speaking and listening and featured a day full of activities across campus last week. The day also tied in an all-school service initiative circled around the theme of empathy and “walking a mile in someone’s shoes,” inspired by the children’s book Those Shoes.
The author of Those Shoes, Maribeth Boelts, was St. Margaret’s special guest for Literacy Day. She participated in a cross-divisional activity in which students of all ages came together to read the thought-provoking picture book that tells the story of Jeremy, who wants the “cool” shoes that all his friends have but is saddled by the family budget which can only cover the needs, not the wants. Students read the book in cross-divisional groups, and Upper School students then led discussions on the lessons of the story and the importance of footwear to the homeless and those living in poverty.
Ms. Boelts also spoke at Lower School Chapel, shared lessons from the book, participated in activities, and conducted a writer’s workshop for students in grades 3-5.
“Maribeth’s book was the inspiration for our theme this year, and it was so wonderful having her at St. Margaret’s to celebrate Literacy Day with us,” said Darla Magana, St. Margaret’s director of library services. “Her presence had such an impact in our school community as we explored the theme of empathy throughout the day.”
Ms. Boelts also spoke at the culmination of St. Margaret’s all-school shoe drive at the conclusion of Literacy Day. In a festive gathering in Pasternack Field House, hundreds of pairs of shoes were collected, sorted, packed and loaded into trucks to be donated to Family Assistance Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit that assists those in need in Orange County, and with which St. Margaret’s has a longstanding partnership.
In total, five large bins full of men’s, women’s and children’s shoes were donated to FAM. Shoes are still being collected for donation in the Tartan Store.
Some of the other Literacy Day activities included:
Dress as a Book Character
Many Lower School students were dressed as their favorite book character. Among those represented were Harry Potter, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Elephant and Piggie and The Cat in the Hat.
Battle of the Books
Students in grades 4 and 5 who participated in the BOB club took part in the Battle of the Books tournament in Sillers Hall in front of classmates. Questions were asked based on the 20-book BOB reading list to the teams, and the winners of the competition will move on to the South Orange County competition, which will take place March 21 at St. Margaret’s.
‘What Character Has Character’ Presentations
Lower School students gave speeches that spotlighted the good character of various book characters.
Tech Time
During tech time, Lower School students viewed the digital books and booktrailers made by classmates during their Library time.
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
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