May 22, 2012: Awesome! PALS Schools Participate in Big Rothesay Read
Rothesay Reads invited Neil Pasricha, author of “The Book of Even More Awesome”, to attend a speaking engagement at Rothesay High School on May 11, 2012. Mr. Pasricha was to receive a standard honorarium for attending the event; however, he asked that the money instead be used to purchase more books for students. He wanted to create a “Pay it Forward” initiative.
Rothesay Reads purchased the additional books, and it was decided that they would be distributed by PALS (Partners Assisting Local Schools) to other schools within the province. The books were divided into four class sets and sent to four schools: St. Stephen High and Bliss Carmen Middle School in Fredericton; and two District 8 PALS schools, St. Malachy’s Memorial High School and Lorne Middle School in Saint John. The students from each school who received the books were then invited to attend the event at Rothesay High School, and three of the four schools participated.
The Rothesay Reads group was very generous in providing these books to students in other communities. Susan Tipper, JDI’s PALS High School Coordinator, attended the May 11 event and witnessed first-hand how excited the students were to be there and meet the author.
Literacy skills are essential for students, and we believe that the first step in helping kids create a successful future for them is to be able to read PALS embraces any opportunity that encourages students to read, and opportunities like this one are very positive exposure for students.
The students in the four schools are reading the book and from all accounts are greatly enjoying the experience.