The Glen Cove City School District’s four elementary schools — Deasy, Gribbin, Landing and Connolly — recently wrapped up their 35th annual Pick-A-Reading-Partner program, a long-standing initiative designed to encourage students to develop a lifelong love of reading.
Through literacy activities, guest readers and author visits, the program invites students to experience reading beyond the classroom while strengthening ties between the schools and the broader community.
Danielle Monaco, a first- and second-grade reading teacher, said the program plays an important role in helping young students see reading as both enjoyable and essential.
“Kids need role models,” Monaco said. “They need adults who are proficient readers to show them that everybody reads and that this is something they can grow up and be able to do. It’s not just books — they can be reading recipes or instructions. Reading is everything.”
District officials say the program has also produced measurable results. According to administrators, reading scores have risen significantly in recent years, reflecting the district’s continued emphasis on literacy and family engagement.
Several events took place throughout the week across the district’s elementary schools. On March 3, Landing School hosted Community Reader Day in the afternoon, welcoming volunteers to read to students. The following morning, Connolly School held its Vocabulary Parade, where students dressed as vocabulary words and paraded through the building to celebrate language and literacy. Deasy Elementary also hosted a Community Reader Day later that morning.
On March 5, Connolly School welcomed additional community readers, while author Derek Valance visited Landing School to speak with students during two classroom sessions.
The program concluded on March 6 with Community Reader Day at Gribbin Elementary School.
Community members from across Glen Cove participated in the reading sessions. Courtney Callahan, a founding member of NOSH Delivers, visited a second-grade classroom and read aloud to students, encouraging them to embrace kindness and self-confidence.
“Love yourself, love the world and love others,” Callahan told the students as she read to them. “That’s really all you need to do.”
Educators say events like PARP are particularly important as children increasingly spend time on screens and digital devices.
“Technology is becoming so much more prominent in their lives,” Monaco said. “It’s really easy for kids to go on an iPad or a screen, so helping them build their stamina and a love of reading is so important so they can continue to grow and learn.”
At Gribbin Elementary School, Principal Randy Arnold said the program highlights the many ways the community supports the district’s youngest learners. The school welcomed two authors during the program, including children’s author Nina Ross and Glen Cove Police Officer Owen Valance, who wrote the book About a Bear.
“When our young readers see that so many people share a love of literacy, they’re inspired,” Arnold said. “Whether it’s an author reading to them, a pilot, a police officer or our superintendent, it leaves a mark on them.”
Arnold added that the program’s success reflects the community’s collective investment in Glen Cove’s students.
“So many people are invested in our children — firefighters, police officers, educators,” Arnold said. “It creates a sense of community and all the things you want positive in a special place like Glen Cove.”
