Noxon teachers share love of reading

February is not only for Valentine's Day celebrations. It is also "I Love to Read" month. Noxon Elementary School teachers commemorated the theme last Thursday by dressing up as their favorite book characters.

Teachers in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth collaborated to dress the parts of Laura Numeroff's "If You..." series. Meanwhile, "Students were dressed up as popular story characters such as Pete the Cat, Ladybug Girl, Elsa, and Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes to name a few," shared first grade teacher Lara Oldenburg.

Oldenburg wore a cookie necklace and dressed up as the mouse featured in "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." She was joined in mouse costume by Kaela Burgess (fifth grade), who represented "If You Take a Mouse to School." Libby Swanson, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teacher, dressed as the black cat with a white belly from "If You Give a Cat a Cupcake." Second grade teacher Morgan Owens exhibited a black nose and donut sprinkles on her attire while dressed up featuring "If You Give a Dog a Donut." Susie Kayser chose "If You Give a Pig a Pancake." She wore a pancake necklace and carried a stuffed animal piglet around with her. Fourth grade teacher Cammy Shaw wore antlers as she honored "If You Give a Moose a Muffin."

In addition to dressing up as a favorite book character, Noxon PTO has given students a free book and the lunch and breakfast menus have coordinated with popular stories, according to Oldenburg. "Our kitchen crew has gotten so creative!" she emphasized. The story "Stone Soup" was honored by serving vegetable soup, pigs in a blanket paid homage to the infamous "Three Little Pigs."

Encouraging how fun reading is, students have had pajama day, mystery staff readers, enjoyed swapping teachers for story time, and flashlight reading. The fun will not end there. Oldenburg enthusiastically said, "We have lots more to come!"