First Lady will honor Ramtown pupils for reading achievement

First Lady will honor Ramtown
pupils for reading achievement

HOWELL — The students of the Ramtown Elementary School have been participating in a reading incentive program called "Read Across America." This is the third year the students have participated in the program which encourages them to read books and earn "miles" for each book read. This year the students of Ramtown read close to 40,000 books, according to a press release.

As the school year progressed and miles were earned, the media center mapped out the miles as the students traveled across the United States. The school’s media center also incorporated lessons on individual states the students traveled through.

In order to enhance the program and to promote pride in America, the Ramtown PTO arranged for the program "America Land of Dreams" to be presented to the children. The program was held on May 8 and its objective was to educate the children about the history of the American Flag and to promote the idea of the "land of opportunity and dreams" and the freedom to pursue one’s dream, according to the press release.

The children were introduced to historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Betsy Ross and the Statute of Liberty.

The children learned a great deal about the history of the American flag as well as being introduced to the concept of the "land of opportunity" through the freedoms provided in America.

The reading incentive program is voluntary and is in addition to the pupils’ regular school work. More than 150 students read more than 100 books and many others earned the honor of being in the 200, 300, 400, 600 or 700 Book Club. All students who earned entry into these clubs will receive an award at an awards ceremony to be held today.

New Jersey’s First Lady, Dina Matos McGreevey, will be the special guest at the awards ceremony.

According to the press release, she is a perfect guest for this event not only because of her dedication to children and literacy, but also because she is an ideal person to promote to the children the importance of American pride, which is this year’s theme.