Four New Jersey schools from Middlesex and Monmouth Counties have been selected to join forces with mayors from their communities, Monmouth University School of Education Dean Lynn Romeo, faculty, administrators, and undergraduate teacher education candidates to promote engagement, interest, and wide reading and writing for first-grade students in these two counties. A kick-off event and luncheon was held on February 10 at Monmouth University to launch the program and honor the teachers who are participating in the book club. Their superintendents and generous sponsors also attended the event.
The following mayors and schools are participating in the Mayor’s Book Club:
- Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry
- Madison Park Elementary School first-grade teachers: Jennifer Sallemi and Carol Servidio
- Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac
- Ross Street School #11 first-grade teachers: Lindsey Brooks and Brian Weitz
- Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo
- Woodmere Elementary School first-grade teachers: Danielle Feintuch and Tami Smith
- Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider
- Amerigo Anastasia first-grade teachers: Gina Keagle and Janice Mozee
The Mayor’s Book Club is designed to support and enhance the literacy development of first-graders. The students participating in the program will read a total of eight books over a four-month period starting in January and will have the opportunity to be read to by a special guest reader, their own mayor. Each student who participates in the program will receive a book at the conclusion of the program. In addition, the participating first grades in each school that have read at least 1,000 books will be given $1,000 to be spent on books for their first-grade classroom libraries.
The sponsors of the Mayor’s Book Club are Atlantic City Electric, Investors Bank, JCP&L, NJ American Water, NJ Natural Gas/NJ Natural Resources, and PSE&G.