Congratulations to the Winners of Our Spring 2012 Elementary National Contest!
Our first-place winner and recipient of a visit from best-selling author Patrick Carman plus 2,000 Scholastic Dollars™ is:
Skyline Elementary School
Chairperson: Tammy Matlock
Stillwater, OK
Family Literacy Night was the featured event of the Book Fair for Skyline Elementary School. Businesses and clubs donated prizes, food, supplies, and ingredients to make a luau-themed pineapple upside down cake, which complimented a free Hawaiian-themed dinner. A nearby college fraternity volunteered to work the event, and teachers hosted literacy-centered booths providing families with a night of reading revelry.
Promotion of the Book Fair began with a surprise rendition of “Mele Kalikimaka” by third graders at the school’s holiday program. Flyers highlighting Fair activities were sent home to families each of the four weeks leading up the Fair. Information was posted to the school’s Book Fair homepage, library homepage, and the library’s social media page. Students participated in Smartboard Book Fair Bingo, Book Fair lessons, and heard daily announcements.
The whole student body was involved in creating decorations for the Fair. Students and volunteers made hundreds of individual tropical flowers that filled the Fair and the school. Outside the Book Fair entrance, amazing 7-foot tall handmade orchids welcomed shoppers. Other decorations turned the school into a tropical paradise. They included a full-length wall mural, pineapples, coconuts, tiki totems, and Hawaiian shirts. The official Junior Crew helped create more complex decorations, set up the fair, wore sandwich boards, and wrote, performed, and recorded booktalk videos to promote the Book Fair and reading.
The week before the Book Fair the principal issued a reading challenge during a kick-off rally. Students who met their individual reading goal had their picture taken on a Big Kahuna throne. Students met the 100,000 reading minute challenge and were rewarded with a D.J., bounce inflatables, and treats. Congratulations to Skyline Elementary School students, staff, and parents for making their Book Fair such a great event!
Second-place winners of 1,000 Scholastic Dollars are:
Union Elementary School
Chairperson: Heather Wyatt
Temple, GA
Union Elementary knows how to host a Book Fair! Their principal led the way, agreeing to dress as a “Hawaiian Hot Dog” and be covered with ketchup, mustard, and pineapple if students met their goal. All classes attended a lesson to learn about Book Fair events and view the Author Video. To kick off the Fair, they held a rally and parade, featuring kids dressed as book characters and the local high school marching band. The rally included a teacher dressup competition, hula dance from the assistant principal, and a hula hoop competition for volunteer dads. Other big events included a family night with a free hot dog dinner donated by a local business, a Grandparents Night with chorus performance, and One for Books® classroom competition.
More than 50 Junior Crew members helped out at the Fair. Parent volunteers created luau-themed decorations and a surf shack entrance to the Book Fair. Promotions utilized Facebook, newsletters, school website, blogs, and more. The assistant principal wore a pineapple sandwich board at the car pool line. A thank you breakfast was held at the end for all the volunteers.
North Road Intermediate School
Chairperson: Valerie Brown
Warren, OH
In addition to tried and true practices, each year the library tries to add new activities and events to their Book Fair. New promotions included advertising on the town’s community marquee and coverage from a local news station. The local fire department sent a fire truck as the What Would You Do For Reading® reward. A local sandwich shop donated 10% of their daily sales to One for Books – which resulted in the shop’s busiest day EVER! Students created booktalks and were judged on their ability to convince other students to read the book. Two winners were chosen for each grade level. The principal challenged students to a limbo contest. In order to compete, a student had to purchase five books. 135 of the school’s 300 students met the requirement and participated in the contest.
Past practices the school stuck with included promoting to students and families early and often; using the theme and decorating to generate interest; using a few parents, high school students, and retired teachers as volunteers; and hosting a family night and a hugely successful Grand Event.
St. John the Evangelist School
Chairperson: Linda Lenard
Duluth, MN
The Book Fair Luau theme warmed up the cool April weather in Duluth, MN. Promoting the Fair was a big priority for the school. Posters went up around school and in local businesses, handmade yard signs sprung up, and the neighborhood was delighted to see students in pineapple sandwich boards. Newsletters and newspapers listed activities, and two local news stations broadcast their Book Fair Rally. Students participated in the Junior Crew, numerous contests, and dinned on a themed lunch menu.
Local grocery stores donated 500 paper shopping bags which were turned into layered grass skirts for tables. More decorating accents of flowers, a tiki hut cashier station, and hand-painted tropical scene were added. Each guest was greeted with “Aloha” and a lei, then shopped while Hawaiian music played in the background.
Switlik Elementary School
Chairperson: Susan Guzman
Jackson, NJ
Excitement kicked off the week before the Fair with a school-wide Book Fair pep rally. Students were divided into four teams and each entered the rally doing the limbo. The principal served as the rally MC, students were entertained by a crew of faculty and staff cheerleaders, and the vice-principal performed a “Reading Rocks” rap. Students were encouraged to participate in a reading challenge. Other pre-Fair activities included a One for Books collection, a school-wide used book drive to bring gently used books into classrooms, viewing of the Author Video, and plenty of home grown advertising.
During the Fair, students and families shopped in a Luau beach environment complete with palm trees, surfboard, a giant wave photo op, leis, grass shirts, parrots, and tikis. To keep the excitement high, each day of the Fair featured a different theme. Thursday evening was Family Night, where everyone snacked on tropical munchies and were entertained by a play performed by faculty and staff. The final event was a “Minute to Win It” game show for all students who met their reading goal.
Click here to see who won the President’s Award for Exceptional Performance.
President's Award for Exceptional Performance winners (who win 500 Scholastic Dollars) are:
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (Theme):
McGarity Elementary School
Chairperson: Angie Dennis
Hiram, GA
The school’s Book Fair committee wanted a theme that would be both instructional and fun. They decided on an ancient Egyptian theme with the tag line: “Walk Like an Egyptian to the Book Fair – Where a treasure of books are waiting to be discovered!” The library was turned into an Egyptian tomb complete with hand painted hieroglyphs, a large pyramid constructed by the Junior Crew, a life-size mummy, and gold table covers to complete the effect. Contests and challenges also used the theme. Winners of the One for Books challenge were pushed on golden “chariots” by the losers, and the losers were then buried in sand. The principal was wrapped like a mummy when students met their Book Fair goal. Family Night was advertised as “Bring your Mummy to the Book Fair, and your Daddy too!”
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (Decorations):
Coconut Palm Elementary
Chairperson: Leticia Llorens
Miramar, FL
Hawaiian-themed decór created buzz and got the whole school community talking about the Book Fair. The library was transformed into “Coco’s Book Shack,” and large tiki totems were part of a large mural leading to the Fair. A giant waterfall and flowing volcano greeted visitors as they entered the boardwalk (featuring real sand) into the Fair. Each table had it’s own unique decoration, from famous book characters surfing, a waterfall, full-size sailboat replica, beach toys, and more. Colorful blue banners, floral chains, and more themed decorations hung from the ceiling creating a tropical environment for shoppers.
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (One for Books):
Westwood Elementary School
Chairperson: Erin Wahpekeche
Stillwater, OK
One for Books was a huge success for the school. They used a “Roll in the Coins” theme for the loose change drive, which ran prior to the opening of the Fair. The librarian created excitement by roller skating into the Friday assembly to introduce the challenge. She skated through the hallways to each classroom daily to collect donations. They started with Penny Tuesday, and continued through Quarter Friday. A dry erase board was posted at the car pool line which prompted parents to dig in their pockets, purses, and glove compartments for change every day. A goal chart of progress was posted outside the library so students could see how many coins rolled in. Overall, students raised $2,178 in coins to buy books before the Fair had even opened!
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (Grand Event):
Maxine Giardina Charter School
Chairperson: Alison Borne
Thibodaux, LA
The school began their Book Fair promotion by sending invitations to grands inviting them to a tropical vacation. Students were divided into three groups, with each having a day to visit the Fair. As guests arrived, they were greeted with colorful leis, toured the school, and were escorted to the Book Fair and then to a photo op with grandchildren. In some cases there were three generations in the photo. Finally, grands left with a tropical-themed bookmark as a reminder of their tropical “vacation” with their loved ones.
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (Student Engagement):
Ragsdale Elementary School
Chairperson: Cindy Crawford
Rockmart, GA
In order to build excitement among students, grade-level rallies were held, where students were shown the Author Video, and Book Fair events and contests were announced. Contests were held for almost everything: One for Books, door decorating, coloring contest, estimation jars, most minutes read, used book drive, and teacher hula hoop contest. To keep the excitement high, each day of the Fair featured a different theme. The Junior Crew at Ragsdale Elementary School were involved in the Book Fair in the following ways: helped younger shoppers shop the Book Fair, gave booktalks during morning announcements, served refreshments to teachers during the teacher preview, promoted the Book Fair at the car pool pickup/drop off, and hung posters throughout the school.
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (Book Fair Rally):
Oak Elementary
Chairperson: Tammy Phillips
Bartlett, TN
The two co-chairs of the Book Fair wanted this one (their first) to be awesome, so they planned a spectacular Literacy Luau Kickoff Rally. The gym was transformed into a luau setting thanks to many parent volunteers. Since their school is near Memphis, they naturally thought the luau wouldn’t be complete without an Elvis impersonator singing songs from his Hawaiian movies and concerts. The performer had teachers dancing in hula skirts, and students swinging their leis above their heads with excitement. He also helped announce the grand total for their One for Books challenge and posed for pictures after the rally. The rally really shook up their Book Fair sales!
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (Advertising):
Hill Elementary School
Chairperson: Kelly Miles
Austin, TX
Hill Elementary is a big believer in high quantity and high quality advertising for their Book Fair. They placed a massive banner outside the school for all to see, used the Scholastic posters and many handmade signs in Hawaiian style to market the Fair. Eager students wore a pineapple sandwich board at the carpool line the week of the Fair. Multiple flyers were printed and distributed. Electronic media used included the school’s website and weekly e-newsletters. Morning assemblies were another method they used. The principal and librarian made announcements, shared recommended books, dressed in luau attire, and selected students to give booktalks. Two special skits were performed during assemblies to promote the theme and the Fair.
President’s Award for Exceptional Performance (Principal/Faculty Involvement):
Riddle Brook Elementary School
Chairperson: Kristen Kercher
Bedford, NH
The school put their principal and faculty front and center in fun Book Fair leadership roles. The librarian used lead students in a Hawaiian Fun Facts research project, which were displayed throughout the school. The art teacher worked with students to create themed containers for Classroom Wish Lists. Reading specialists and others teachers worked with students to create book reviews and perform booktalks. All teachers used shelf-talkers to help parents and kids find recommended titles. Finally, the principal, vice-principal, and two teachers got soaked at a splash pad when their One for Books goal was met.
