Published: October 11, 2008 12:10 am      

SCHOOLS: Upson Elementary students help in Read for the Record campaign

Brandi Licht hugged Corduroy, a stuffed bear with green overalls, and made a statement.

“I love to read,” she said.

Licht was one of 264 kids from Charles Upson Elementary School who participated in Jumpstart’s “Read for the Record” campaign. Sponsored by the United Way, Read for the Record is a nationwide literacy event set on breaking the world record for the most people reading the same book on the same day. On Oct. 2, kindergarten through third-grade kids read “Corduroy,” a children’s book by Don Freeman. The story is about a stuffed bear who loses a button and is bought in a store for a child.

The previous reading record was set last year, when the number of kids neared 300,000. Though there wasn’t an exact number available yet, Charles Upson reading teacher Rhana Chapman said Jumpstart told the school a new world record was set. She, along with fellow reading teachers Diane Rankie, Lindsay Saraf and librarian Joanne Joseph, were in charge of the program at Charles Upson. Principal Jennifer Gilson said the nationwide reading was a part of Upson’s “Parents As Reading Partners” program, which encourages reading at home.

“They all did an excellent job with this,” she said.

The program started when author Cynthia DeFelice came to Charles Upson for an assembly about the benefits of reading. The momentum will continue, as Gilson said she will read to every class at some point during the school year.

Along with the reading, students donated books for needy families in Niagara County. Students were asked to bring in a book that they would like to donate for children in need, and the response was better than expected.

“Parents were bringing in boxes,” Gilson said.

More than 2,000 books were brought in by the students. The books will be distributed to local not-for-profit organizations and given to children in need in Niagara County. Chapman said the classrooms with more than 200 donations received an ice cream party.

The kids seemed to enjoy reading about Corduroy, especially when Corduroy, himself, told the story. The bear Licht was holding would tell the story when he was squeezed. Fellow students Joshua Stevens and Cordell Jendrysiak said there were certain parts of the book they liked.

“I liked when he went up the escalator,” Stevens said.

He added that Corduroy actually thought it was a mountain. Jendrysiak said his favorite moment was a little different.

“When he bumps into the lamp,” he said.

But the story ends with a girl, Lisa, who gets Corduroy. The story with Charles Upson kids ends sort of the same way, with a number of children receiving the book about the well-known stuffed bear with green overalls.

Contact reporter Joe Olenick at 439-9222, ext. 6241.