Book-Based Belonging: Huntington builds community through reading

March 17, 2025

A library-sized number of community volunteers encouraged Huntington Elementary School students to expand their love of reading during a special schoolwide activity.
 
Guests visited each classroom for the inaugural Huntington Read Across America Week in early March. Volunteers from Lincoln Fire and Rescue, Lincoln Police Department, Lincoln Board of Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The White Cane Foundation, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Lancaster County, Lincoln Community Learning Centers, Lincoln Public Schools and other organizations spent time reading books with students.
 
Jeremy Mitchell, a fire captain with Lincoln Fire and Rescue, smiled as he moved through the pages of a baseball-themed story for third graders. He said it was important to turn on healthy hydrants of reading knowledge to the class.
 
“Being with kids and being part of the community is always a good thing,” Mitchell said. “It’s been really fun today. It’s nice to come here and have the kids see us in something other than an emergency situation.”
 
Other Eagles displayed happy expressions the following day when Lincoln Public Schools Interim Superintendent John Skretta presented “The Red Jacket” to them. Skretta exchanged a suit coat for a red Nebraska pullover jacket before delivering the story to Megan Simsic’s class. He then fielded questions for more than ten minutes about his job duties, what he liked about reading and where he went to elementary school.
 
“Thank you!” the class said in unison as Skretta waved goodbye.
 
Huntington teachers Maddie Israel and Regina Neemann both said the new initiative was helpful for students in many ways. Staff members have emphasized the value of “belonging” to children this year, and the reading activities showed them that area residents wanted to belong to their school. Seeing role models like Mitchell and Skretta enjoying books also boosted their enthusiasm for literacy.
 
“I think it’s been very important for the students to see these adults taking the time to read with them,” Israel said. “It shows that they matter to people outside of our school community.”
 
“Having role models come to read to kids is incredibly beneficial,” Neemann said. “It can inspire a love for reading by showing children that people they admire value and enjoy books. This can encourage them to develop their own reading habits. When children see successful individuals emphasizing the importance of literacy, it reinforces the message that education is a key component of success.”
 
The idea for Huntington Read Across America Week came from the school’s new family communication team. Principal Kristi Schirmer organized the team this year to review attendance data, foster engagement with families and build more bridges with the Huntington community. Team member Anna Schlecht said teachers incorporated the 2024-29 LPS Strategic Plan into their decision-making process.
 
“We are really trying to focus on that green triangle of the strategic plan, family and community engagement,” Schlecht said. “Since Covid, I feel like we are rebuilding and setting the bar for what having guests in our Huntington building should look like. It is almost like a blank slate and we get to paint the picture of what we want it to look like at Huntington.”
 
The family communication team reached out to area residents and developed a schedule for each day of the reading week. Each classroom had one guest visit them for 20 minutes each day. The guests came at different times each day and read books geared toward their specific grade level.
 
Neemann and Israel both said bringing local role models to every Huntington classroom made the week even more rewarding for students. It served as a visual reminder of how every member of the Huntington family belonged to the same special circle of learners.
 
“Students of all ages should have the opportunity to have people read to them,” Neemann said. “It is never too early or too late to inspire students to read. This schoolwide activity has allowed us to be unified in our message to our students that they all belong and their education matters.”
 
“It has been really nice for it to be a schoolwide activity,” Israel said. “The students are able to share the same experience with their friends and family who also attend Huntington. It also shows how important reading is that we are taking the time for the students to be read to each day.”
 
Schlecht said the question-and-answer sessions were just as informative. She said many community members were impressed by the deeper level of questions that came up. Students asked why they chose their careers, what they liked about living in Lincoln and what some of their favorite items were.
 
“Students were prepared and ready to ask great questions, and I truly believe that is because of the amazing Tier 1 level instruction the students are getting from their teachers,” Schlecht said. “It was fun to see how engaged the students were during the read alouds. They were talking at lunch about those careers and even as they left school.”
 
Schirmer said she heard many Eagles say that they wanted to make sure their guests felt they belonged when they visited. Hearing those words gave her a library-sized amount of joy during Huntington’s Read Across America Week event.
 
“I’ve been really proud of what I’ve seen from everyone,” Schirmer said.
 
Learn more about the wide range of reading initiatives at Lincoln Public Schools by visiting home.lps.org/reading.

You can also visit our website for more details about the 2024-29 strategic plan at https://home.lps.org/strategicplan/.
 
Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

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