Forestville Elementary School has kicked off its 42nd annual Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) initiative to promote students reading outside of the classroom. The program will last the entire month of March.

“Every year, it evolves and gets better and better,” Forestville Middle/High School Principal Dan Grande said.

The State’s PARP program was developed in 1978 by New York state Sen. James Donovan, with a goal to support a connection between the home and the school to support literacy. PARP formerly stood for Parents as Reading Partners, before it was recently renamed Pick a Reading Partner in 2015 in an effort to be more inclusive. Forestville held firm on the original name until 2021.

Forestville’s initiative is centered around 15 minutes a night of reading for five nights a week, or 75 minutes of reading in a week, outside of the classroom. Shauna McMahon, Forestville Elementary School Principal, noted that several staff members have volunteered to stay after school on Mondays and Tuesdays to read with students. McMahon also thanked all of the staff members who have met regularly to coordinate the event.

Shauna McMahon, Forestville Elementary School Principal, sang along and danced with students during a concert from Glenn Colton during the District’s annual PARP celebration.

“I just really appreciate everything everyone is doing to support this initiative,” McMahon said.

Grande previously served as the Forestville Elementary School Principal for more than a decade before he transitioned to the Middle/High School nine years ago. Forestville’s annual PARP event predates Grande’s time as an administrator at each of the District’s facilities, but he has still been along for a lot of the ride.

Grande recalls looking at photos from before his time of current Superintendent Dr. John O’Connor participating in the event, as well. Before he took over, Grande recalled O’Connor dressed as a squirrel, reading a book in a tree. In his first year, Grande was dressed as a pirate and walked the plank into a pool of cold water. Grande has also dressed as Abraham Lincoln, and he and O’Connor once dressed as sumo wrestlers.

“Every single year we do something different,” Grande said. “… I think it’s amazing every year.”

In her first year as Elementary School Principal, McMahon is happy to fit in with one of the school’s longest standing traditions.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Gary Worosz, a second-grade teacher at Forestville Elementary School, has taken a leading role in coordinating the PARP event at Forestville each year.

“This school has many traditions that they are very proud of,” McMahon said. “… I’m really enjoying my time here. It’s a very happy place.”

Gary Worosz, a second-grade teacher at Forestville Elementary School, has taken a leading role in coordinating the PARP event at Forestville each year. He has served on the PARP Committee at the District since 1991.

Over the past 34 years, Worosz has served in various roles within the District. He has been an Elementary Reading Specialist, a fourth-grade teacher, and now is in his second stint as a second grade teacher. “Within each position, my goal was, and is, to encourage and promote the love of reading — not as a ‘chore’, but as an enjoyable activity,” Worosz said.

The annual event featured a concert from Glenn Colton, in what is his 30th year of performing at the school. Students sang along with many of his songs and even lined up for autographs after the concert concluded.

“He gets the kids excited – even the intermediate grades – which can be challenging,” Worosz said.

“Kids and staff look forward to him coming back year after year,” McMahon said of Colton’s concert. She also joined in on the fun and sang her own version of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. “It really sets a positive example and sets a positive trajectory for our reading program for the month … It kicks it off right.”

Worosz said the committee “chose wisely” with this year’s theme, “Discover the magic of reading!” Worosz referenced the looks on kids’ faces as they saw a display on the wall of the main hallway of the building coming back from mid-winter recess. The students also signed posters of each letter, R-E-A-D, to be displayed on the walls, as well.

McMahon and Grande played a part in the theme, as they competed with magic tricks to show off for the crowd. McMahon began by unveiling a baby pig from under a cloak, then performed a math trick where she added a series of numbers selected by students to add up to a number she had written and presented to a student before the selection of the digits began. Grande then followed by presenting a dollar bill to be ripped into pieces by various students, which he then placed in a box and later pulled out a dollar bill in pristine condition.

“I definitely felt some pressure,” McMahon said. She joked that Grande’s trick was “definitely a little bit more put together than mine.”

This is the fifth year that Grande has the opportunity to participate as a district parent, with his son, Spencer, now in fourth grade at Forestville Elementary. Grande emphasized the importance of parent participation in the PARP event with their child.

“That’s really critical with what we do here. … What better than to have a child sit down with a book, on the couch with mom and dad,” Grande said.

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