CUYAHOGA FALLS: It had been 20 years since students taped Dyanne Schoterman to a wall.
Then a principal at a California middle school, Schoterman used the tactic to persuade her students to turn in all their homework.
On Friday afternoon, a new batch of students pinned her to the wall again, this time because of Dr. Seuss and thousands of books.
Schoterman, principal at Elizabeth Price Elementary in Cuyahoga Falls, challenged her school’s students, in grades K-5, about six weeks ago to read 3,000 books to promote literacy and to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday March 2.
“We read 7,531 total,” she said.
Her staff said it never has been more important to promote reading in early childhood education.
“We have really told the kids so much about the third-grade reading guarantee, and we’ve talked about the importance of literacy,” said second-grade teacher Roseann Kostoff-Currier.
Next year’s state mandate could prevent some students from advancing to fourth grade.
Second-graders averaged about 12 books a week over the five-week period. The books were shorter than the chapter books the third- through fifth-graders read.
And some are still reading.
“One boy said, ‘I know I read a lot, but I didn’t read 3,000 by myself,’ ” Kostoff-Currier said of Joe Barret, a student in her class.
“He said that a few days ago and he has been keeping a sheet of the books” that he continues to read, his mother, Nikki Barrett, said.
Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792 or dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.
