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Principal Proves Reading is a Cakewalk
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By JOSEPH LAW
jlaw@uvsj.com
A parade Thursday led from Central Elementary in Sugar City to Deseret Book in Rexburg.
It happened because 48,857 books were read by the elementary school’s students.
The parade included students and parents accompanied by a school bus and an all-terrain vehicle driven by a person with doggy ears attached to her helmet.
This parade was part of the “Walk for Wisdom” event put on by Bob Potter, principal of Central Elementary.
Potter had promised the 435 students he would walk one foot for each book they read during the school year.
The number of books the students read equates to nine and a half miles.
Each year for the past several years, Potter has been doing outlandish things if the students met their reading goals.
He has been dunked in a vat of macaroni and cheese.
He has dressed like a bookworm and been lowered by a crane into a tank of fish.
He has slept overnight at the school dressed in teddy bear pajamas.
One year, he dressed as a knight and rode a horse at school.
A magician made him disappear.
He has even flown away in a hot air balloon.
Students kept track of the number of books they had read by gradually coloring in a mural near Potter’s office.
He said he only had to walk 4.3 miles because he bargained away some of the miles in return for two days of activities on Thursday and Friday during the last days of school.
“They were fine with that – they thought it was a good trade-off,” Potter said.
When the parade group got to Deseret Book, the students were presented with several books for their library.
Then they took buses to Porter Park for the rest of the day’s events.
The activities included a picnic at the park with several special cakes with reading as the theme of the decorations.
Carousel rides were also part of the bargain. Today students get to play in an inflatable castle set up in the school’s gym.
Potter said in addition to inviting the students to walk with him if they could bring a chaperon, he had also invited President George W. Bush, Harrison Ford and Hannah Montana to participate in the walk, but all three were no shows.
At Porter Park, students were eager to talk about the whole reading experience that led to the final celebration.
“It was cool,” said Makaylie McInnes, a third grader. She said she likes to read “because it gives me imagination.”
Second grader Hailie Larsen said, “I thought it was fun.”
She said her favorite book out of the ones she read was “The Diary of a Spider” because it was about spiders.”
Makei Beahm said he read about 20 books because “I like learning – elementary school is all about learning.”
Zoe Buchanan said the event had a double reward.
“I like to make Mr. Potter walk, and I like to read,” she said.
She said she read about 40 books and her favorite book was “probably “The Diary of a Worm.”
She said worms can’t really write in a diary, but in a book they can “because it’s fiction – fiction is a make-believe story.”
Potter said he hasn’t decided on what unusual thing he will agree to next year to encourage reading.
“I’ll have to think of something fun,” he said.
It happened because 48,857 books were read by the elementary school’s students.
The parade included students and parents accompanied by a school bus and an all-terrain vehicle driven by a person with doggy ears attached to her helmet.
This parade was part of the “Walk for Wisdom” event put on by Bob Potter, principal of Central Elementary.
Potter had promised the 435 students he would walk one foot for each book they read during the school year.
The number of books the students read equates to nine and a half miles.
Each year for the past several years, Potter has been doing outlandish things if the students met their reading goals.
He has been dunked in a vat of macaroni and cheese.
He has dressed like a bookworm and been lowered by a crane into a tank of fish.
He has slept overnight at the school dressed in teddy bear pajamas.
One year, he dressed as a knight and rode a horse at school.
A magician made him disappear.
He has even flown away in a hot air balloon.
Students kept track of the number of books they had read by gradually coloring in a mural near Potter’s office.
He said he only had to walk 4.3 miles because he bargained away some of the miles in return for two days of activities on Thursday and Friday during the last days of school.
“They were fine with that – they thought it was a good trade-off,” Potter said.
When the parade group got to Deseret Book, the students were presented with several books for their library.
Then they took buses to Porter Park for the rest of the day’s events.
The activities included a picnic at the park with several special cakes with reading as the theme of the decorations.
Carousel rides were also part of the bargain. Today students get to play in an inflatable castle set up in the school’s gym.
Potter said in addition to inviting the students to walk with him if they could bring a chaperon, he had also invited President George W. Bush, Harrison Ford and Hannah Montana to participate in the walk, but all three were no shows.
At Porter Park, students were eager to talk about the whole reading experience that led to the final celebration.
“It was cool,” said Makaylie McInnes, a third grader. She said she likes to read “because it gives me imagination.”
Second grader Hailie Larsen said, “I thought it was fun.”
She said her favorite book out of the ones she read was “The Diary of a Spider” because it was about spiders.”
Makei Beahm said he read about 20 books because “I like learning – elementary school is all about learning.”
Zoe Buchanan said the event had a double reward.
“I like to make Mr. Potter walk, and I like to read,” she said.
She said she read about 40 books and her favorite book was “probably “The Diary of a Worm.”
She said worms can’t really write in a diary, but in a book they can “because it’s fiction – fiction is a make-believe story.”
Potter said he hasn’t decided on what unusual thing he will agree to next year to encourage reading.
“I’ll have to think of something fun,” he said.
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