Preschoolers in Mrs. Erika Hauke’s class at New Richmond Elementary listen intently as Teacher Academy student J.R. Forsee reads Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad.
On Oct. 4, students from The Teacher Academy at Grant Career Center participated in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation.

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is an annual reading celebration that highlights the need for quality early education in America by mobilizing adults and children to set a record for the largest shared reading experience.

To claim the new world record, 2,385,305 people read the book Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad by David Soman and Jacky Davis.

The Teacher Academy students participating in Read for the Record included Sydney Clancy, J.R. Forsee, Brittany Hahn, Craig Hoagland, Erica Jones, Taylor McKinnon, Jae Mosley, B.J. Roa, Taylor Robinson, and Tonya Sheets. The Teacher Academy class read Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad to their teacher mentors’ classes and engaged students in learning activities from accompanying lesson plans each had developed.

The Teacher Academy class involved more than 200 local elementary students in this year’s Read for the Record campaign.

“Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is a call to action to Americans to recognize the importance of quality early education, especially for our most vulnerable children,” said Mrs. Julie Crozier, The Teacher Academy Instructor. “When children start behind, they tend to stay behind. Grant Career Center is proud to support this campaign.”

The Teacher Academy class also raised money to donate copies of Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad to participating teachers’ classrooms. Teacher mentors and book recipients included Mrs. Nancy Barger, Ms. Gwen Miller, Miss Rena White, Mrs. Kathy Rodenberg, Mrs. Mary Ann Jarman, Mrs. Jennifer Guy, Mrs. Amanda Louderback, and Mrs. Dawn Stephens (Felicity-Franklin Elementary); Mrs. Debra Adkins and Mrs. Lisa Comberger (Hamersville Elementary); Mrs. Jennifer Huelsmann, Mrs. Melanie Shoemaker, Mrs. Leigh Fritz, Mrs. Kim Ealy, and Mrs. Lauren Bota (Monroe Elementary), and Mrs. Sarah Metzger, Mrs. Melissa Wildey, Mrs. Julie Winkelman, Mrs. Susan Kelly, Mrs. Allison Ellis, Mrs. Judith Schaechter, Mrs. Rosemary Wiebell, and Mrs. Erika Hauke (New Richmond Elementary).