U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Trevor Farrow spent his Monday morning last week reading to a group of enthralled youngsters at Oxford Circle’s Gilbert Spruance Elementary School.
Farrow engaged with the students and made sure they were following along. He read The Book Thief, a children’s title about a young boy who finds a way to read even after the mayor of his town destroys and bans all books.
“I love kids,” Farrow told the Times. “It’s a great interaction.”
Farrow and nine other active duty service men and women from Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support were at Spruance, 6401 Horrocks St., for Read Across America Day, which was held March 2 to coincide with Dr. Seuss’s birthday.
Kwand T. Lang, principal of the K-8 school with 1,400 students, said the challenge is keeping kids interested in reading, especially as they get older.
“I think literacy has been a focus for us,” he said. “We’re just trying to make sure we stay excited about reading.”
DLA Troop Support, 700 Robbins Ave., is fostering a relationship with Spruance. This is the second year they’ve participated in Read Across America Day, and employees have also been involved in career day and a Veterans Day program.
The organization has also partnered with other public schools, including Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Lawncrest. ••
