D.E.A.R. Reader

State Rep. Mark Painter, D-146th Dist., and Shannon Wagner's first grade class at Rupert Elementary school, recently dropped everything to read.

Blogger's Note: Summer is fast upon us and, quite frankly, much of the subject matter we write about here at the Digital Notebook. So we will confess to warehousing an item or two, here and there, to get us through the long dry season. But before school recedes too far from our thoughts, let's visit Shannon Wagner's first grade class at Rupert Elementary School and a special visitor they had. (As always, thanks to John Armato for providing this information and photos. He's getting quite good at picture-taking isn't he?)

The students in Shannon Wagner's class know how to start a letter, "Dear XXXX."

So when they wrote to State Representative Mark Painter, that's how it began.

But it's also what the letter was about. 

Mark Painter dropped everything and read to 

Rupert students.

Because at Rupert, D.E.A.R. stands for "Drop Everything And Read," and the announcement can come at any moment.

The students wrote to Painter, asking him to visit for just such an event. And he did.

The students, who are a long way from voting age, were attentive to the tale of a green frog and a fly. They asked many questions and shared their ideas about how the story would end.

“An appreciation and joy for the skill of reading will go a long way in leading to academic success,” said Wagner.

“I appreciate this opportunity to help instill in young people the joy of reading. It will become one of the foundations of a successful life,” Painter said.

“D.E.A.R. day is one of the many reading activities that our schools do to promote the joy of reading. We are happy to have our community partners play an active role in the education of our most precious resource – our young people,” said Rupert Principal Matt Moyer.