A national event, known as America Reads Day, gave Xavier students an opportunity to revisit their elementary schools, read to students, and give back. This year America Reads Day took place on Thursday, October 19. On this day, people all around the nation went to schools to read and introduce students to their favorite book characters.

America Reads started in 1996 by the Clinton Administration. President Clinton proposed a national literacy campaign that would enlist one million volunteer tutors to give children the personal attention they needed to catch up and get ahead.

Two Xavier students who participated in this year’s America Reads Day were seniors Ryan Keating and Anna Parr. They both visited St. Pius X Elementary School to read to the students. Two of the books they chose to read were Dragons Love Tacos and Beauty and the Beast because many had seen the recent movie. “The experience was amazing because the kids were so eager to listen to me read to them and to get to know me,” Parr said.

Keating and Parr went into separate classrooms and each read to a class full of students. The kids loved the books they read and pointed out how magnificent the pictures were, according to Parr.

“I volunteered to read because I remember when I was in elementary school and all the high school kids came and read to us,” Keating said. “I just thought that was really cool, and I wanted to help out.”

Xavier students have the opportunity to volunteer every year. It is a service many students participate in because they get the opportunity to give back to their elementary schools and visit with their former teachers.

“My favorite part was talking to the kids about my life at Xavier and remembering how I was once in first grade just like them, and had people come read to me just like they do,” Parr said.

America Reads is one way to teach kids the importance of reading. They hope to continue inspiring kids all around the nation to pick up a book and go on an imaginary journey.

Jenae Marshall

News Writer