The plan came off without a hitch. The idea was to use an all-school read of a single book to develop a community of readers. The story was Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot, the first of a three-part series. The March celebration of National Reading Month created a time frame and focus for the undertaking. Success would be up to the entire Manchester Elementary Middle School (MEMS) community.
And they delivered.
MEMS Principal Harrison Shulman was blown away by the school’s literary team, the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), staff, parents and, in particular, the kids: “They all just crushed it!”
Their joyful wild ride with The Wild Robot, started right on time with a kick-off assembly on March 1st. “Roz” the Robot, the main protagonist of the book, danced nimbly in front of the crowd like no one was watching. Middle school actors dressed as lab technicians and performed a skit to introduce the story to the school. On launch day, every student and staff member received copies of the book and a MEMS Wild Robot t-shirt.
And that was just the beginning. In the following days the students filled up the building with hand-made robots of all shapes and sizes. They transformed the hallways into the pine forest of Roz’s new island home. They decorated the walls with colorful artwork depicting trees, animals, and robots. Time was set aside for reading each day and guest readers recorded videos to help move the story along.
And much more. MEMS reached out to the Burr & Burton Academy (BBA) who sent its Robotics Team to showcase their work with technology to a MEMS all-school assembly. The PTO took the lead on hosting a Family Literacy Dinner that served and entertained some 400 guests of all ages. The school celebrated a Spirit Week with each day connected to a theme aligned with the joy of reading.
The ideas and lessons learned in The Wild Robot were incorporated into classroom work. As a demonstration of collaboration, for example, 7th graders worked with 2nd graders to research and report on all the animals featured in the book. Their project will be featured in the school library.
MEMS closed its month with The Wild Robot with a grande finale on Friday, March 29th. “Roz” returned for a cameo appearance on the gymnasium dance floor. Gift cards from the Northshire Bookstore were given to the winners of the raffle for Wild Robot Scavenger Hunt participants.
Videos played a major role in the final celebration. Students were shown the official trailer for the motion picture version of The Wild Robot that will be released in September. The Pharrell Willams song “Happy” provided the audio for a slide show of March photos from the MEMS celebration of reading. And with the help of GNAT -TV, middle schoolers premiered a video production of their kick-off assembly skit introduction for The Wild Robot.
As an added attraction, live music helped create a celebratory mood. A chorus of seven singers from BBA covered their version of “What a Wonderful World,” the song featured in The Wild Robot official movie trailer.
And a young drummer captured everyone’s attention. Fourth grader Lukas Colegrove performed live for the first time as part of a power rock trio that included his Principal Harrison Shulman on bass and MEMS music teacher Mark Barrett on lead guitar. The song was a cover of Daft Punk’s “Rock Robot” and the crowd responded with a foot-stomping thundering ovation.
But the real story of the day was reading, The Wild Robot, and its message of friendship and acceptance. The impact of the book and its lesson for readers was best summed up by one student, “Together, Roz and her friends made the island a better place.”
In the spirit of that comment, some 20 students from all grades were recognized with an Acceptance Award for their demonstration of friendship, kindness, and acceptance during the MEMS month of celebrating reading. As each name was called, friends rejoiced excitedly for their achievement.
While March is over, the wild ride of reading at MEMS continues. As the assembly drew to a close, faculty members made their way to the center of the gymnasium to receive a wrapped gift for each classroom: The second edition of the three part Wild Robot Trilogy, The Wild Robot Escapes.
MEMS English and Language Arts Chair Jessica Kuzmich closed the program with a final message: “Just. Keep. Reading.”
(Above photo: English and Language Arts Chair Jessica Kuzmich gathers student feedback on “The Wild Robot” at the MEMS Finale Assembly.)
“Home is not a physical place, but a feeling of belonging and being accepted for who we truly are.” The Wild Robot
MEMS students from all grades were recognized with an Acceptance Award for their demonstration of friendship, kindness and acceptance during the school’s celebration of National Reading Month.
MEMS 4th grader Lukas Colegrove makes his first live performance on drums with Music Teacher Mark Barrett (left) on lead guitar and Principal Harrison Shulman (right) on bass.
One happy student proudly shows-off his raffle prize award/ a gift card from the Northshire Bookstore.