Pictured with Reading Phillies mascot Screwball: 2nd graders from Munn’s classroom: Seneca McCaw and Hannah DeFiore Kindergarteners from Peticca: Cassandra Bridges and Dominick Corum First Graders from Kacsan: Luke Bare and Aubrie McKee

In a private note to a member of the school board last week I complained how ineffective the Octorara Area School District is at tooting their own horn.

I noted that even though all indicators pointed to an improving educational climate at the District, most of the stories district leadership sends me for publication are, in my never-to-be-humble opinion, mushy, feel good stories about hall way decoration or fund raising initiatives.

Interesting stories to be sure, but not core to the fundamental educational mission of the district.

So imagine how surprised I was yesterday morning when I received the following email from Lisa McNamara, Principle of the District’s Primary Learning Center:

Students at Octorara Primary Learning Center have been busy reading!

467 Kindergarteners, First Graders, and Second Graders at Octorara Primary Learning Center, have been participating in the Crazy About Reading Program organized by the Reading Phillies.   In this incentive program, students are asked to record the number of days they have read for 15 minutes at home.

In the months of November and December, Octorara Primary Learning Center students recorded reading a total of 20,259 days. This was the highest total out of 15,000 students from 75 other participating schools.

Todd Hunsicker, Educational Programs & Youth Coordinator of the Reading Phillies, and Screwball, the mascot of the Reading Phillies, came to congratulate the Octorara Primary Learning Center students and teachers on their incredible achievement.

Students are also participating in their own building’s annual reading incentive program, which runs from October to May.

What a great story!  For what its worth, a giant Parkesburg Today thank you  goes out to Ms. McNamara for taking the time to share this story with us.

The occasional jab at administrators and school board members aside, I remains a huge fan of the quality and substance of the district’s educational work.  I have no doubt every Octorara school board member, administrator, teacher and classroom aide comes to work every day singularly focused on preparing students for the demanding world awaiting them post graduation.

Here’s hoping this story is just the beginning and district leadership decides to more freely shares more of the educational miracles happening every day in their classrooms with the community.