The carnival-like feel of the third annual summer reading launch party and the distribution of more than 1,000 free books hyped students at the East Orange School District to read over the summer.
“This number does not include books donated to students by Scholastic, AKJ Education, and the East Orange Fire department,” said Yukima Hughes, who is the district supervisor of Secondary English Language Arts, grades 6-12, in the district.
The books being handed out were all socially and culturally relevant with topics that included climate change, voting rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+, bullying, self-expression, self-esteem, loving yourself, and self-image books, Hughes said.
“To celebrate our readers, we also gave away 36 Amazon Fire tablets as prizes,” Hughes said.
The outdoor event included bouncy houses, life-sized game boards, cotton candy, hot dogs, hamburgers, Icees, watermelon wedges, snacks, T-shirts, bookbags, socks, sweets, cups, a live DJ, a 360-degree camera for TikTok enthusiasts, performances by Campus High School’s marching band and student poets, vendor booths, and even dance competitions.
A performance by up-and-coming rapper, Campus High School student, O.Nizzo Orisnisbett, 17, was also featured.
Summer vacation for students is often marred by the “summer slide” phenomenon, Hughes said.
“Studies show that kids lose significant knowledge in reading and math over summer break,” Hughes said, adding that the loss was equivalent to two months of reading skills and 2.6 months of math computational skills and can have a snowball effect as they experience subsequent skill loss each year.
Hughes together with her colleague, Bridgett Green, who is supervisor of Elementary Language Arts in the district, have made the annual event bigger each year, hoping for a fun experience and positive outcome.
This year they included activities which directly appeal to students with autism.
“We expanded the event providing accessibility to students with autism,” Hughes said. “We had touch and feel sensory activities like sand building activities, a build-a-bear station, light-sensory games requiring students to follow patterns, and a dome structure offering a cool resting place inside for students to read their new books.”
Sixth-grader Rosealina Lynch, 12, went to the event with her best friend from school, Natalie.
“I was excited about the activities,” Lynch said. “What caught my eye were the bouncy houses, the cotton candy machine, the hot dogs, and the Icees. I also got to eat cotton candy on a stick for the first time.”
Lynch said she was a “decent reader.”
“I read whenever I’m bored,” she said. “And whenever I scroll on TikTok and see books, I ask my mom if we can get it. I recently went to theTikTok shop and bought a book. The book is called “Becoming Brianna.” It’s very entertaining. I really like reading comics and it has a lot of drama too. And I learned about a new culture too, Jewish.”
Sixth-grade student, Destiny Bodden, 12, said she loved the event.
“It was so fun. When we first got there, we got free bookbags with books and a T-shirt.”
Bodden said she can exercise her brain over the summer by reading.
“Reading not only boosts how you speak, but helps you know more than what you already know,” Bodden said. “And reading helps you when you get older. I was able to finish one book, and they’re like big chapter books.”
Bodden said she is currently reading “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas, which is about a teen girl’s reaction to seeing a friend shot by police.
“I could see some connections in the book about me, about growing up and experiences in my own life,” Bodden said.
Sixth grader, Kelvin Gooden, 12, said he was at the event with his friends, Jemari, Elijah, and Stelly.
“I felt it would be a good time and it actually was a great time,” Gooden said. “This year I got into a book called ‘Dog Man.’ It’s a comic book made by two kids. A new one came out a few months ago and I’m starting to read it. I went to the library to get it. There were only two copies. ‘Dog Man, Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea.’ I’m going to read every ‘Dog Man’ book this summer, probably like 12 or 13 books.”
Two weeks prior to the summer launch event, the 32 top readers across the district were celebrated. Literacy Coaches in each school distributed Amazon Fire tablets and other goodies to each honoree.
As the event came to a close, Green reflected on the success of the initiative.
“It was so amazing to see the community come together to promote the importance of literacy in preventing the summer slide,” Green said. “Having students celebrate with administrators, teachers, parents and key stakeholders shows the necessary invested collaboration and interest in student achievement, a partnership needed to move the needle.”
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