The Alwyn A. Richardson Primary School, at West End, distinguished itself from other schools in Anguilla by celebrating World Book Day on Thursday, March 5. During that event, students, joined by teachers, specially dressed for the occasion and held several reading sessions.
World Book Day is a celebration in over one hundred countries. It is a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and reading. “In fact, it is the biggest of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading,” Teacher Sue Gumbs of the D.O.V.E. Centre, who initiated the event, stated.
Mrs Gumbs continued: “Students and teachers came to school dressed up as a character from their favourite book. In the morning the children enjoyed a storytelling session by Anthea Roach and Cassilda Thomas-Carty from the Anguilla Public Library.
“Later on in the day, certificates were awarded for costumes. The day was one of great fun but, most importantly, it helped to enhance the importance of reading across each grade in the school. The school looks forward to joining in the celebration again next year.”
Ms Marcia Brooks, Principal of the School, commented: “On World Book Day, we decided to dress as characters in books in an effort to get the children to read books more often, and it was part of our literacy programme focussing on encouraging reading. We just want children to love reading and to read, read, read.
“This is the first time we held the event and it went better than planned. I visited both stations where the event took place and the children were very much responsive and enjoyed it.”
The Principal thanked parents and teachers for encouraging the children to participate in the event. She was particularly grateful to Teacher Sue Gumbs for coming up with the idea to celebrate World Book Day, and for the manner in which it was done.
