Birch Elementary School celebrates reading

Elected leaders, fire officials, school principals, librarians and Board of Education trustees converged on Birch Elementary on Wednesday morning for school’s the annual Community Read In. The event is intended to stimulate the children’s interest in –– what else? –– reading.

Community leaders from throughout Merrick each read a special book to a class and discussed what they do in their work. Among the participants were T.J. Fernandez and Ron Luparello from the Merrick Fire Department, Levy-Lakeside Principal Miriam Hanan, Merrick Children’s Library Bonnie Markel, Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg and Merrick Board of Education Trustee Dr. Nancy Kaplan, among many others.

Scott Brinton, senior editor of the Merrick Herald, read Audrey Penn’s “The Kissing Hand” to Pat Rosabianco’s first-grade class.