Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Schools

Readers join voices to set a record

By MICHELE MILLER
Published December 20, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Janel Schroeder-Norton] Brie Chamberlin, 6, from left, Christian Rondon, 7, Matthew D'Ambrosio, 6, and Lindsay Rodriguez, 5, read aloud from Charlotte's Web. Trinity Elementary School students joined readers around the world to go for a world record. They'll find out in March.

TRINITY-E.B. White's Charlotte's Web is one of those eternal classics for elementary students and for adults who fondly remember reading the book long ago.

So it wasn't a problem to round up 382 students and the principal at Trinity Elementary School to take part in a three-minute simultaneous read-along in an attempt to break one of those records in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Trinity folks joined more than a half million other readers from all 50 states and 28 countries to try to break the previous record set by 155,528 students in the United Kingdom who, on March 19, 2004, collectively read William Wordsworth's poem Daffodils. Verification of the Charlotte's Web event will be released by Guinness some time in March.

While the event, organized by Walden Media and Paramount Pictures, was mostly about promoting the new Charlotte's Web movie released this past weekend, principal Kathryn Rushe said she had no problem with her school's effort, which was organized by intermediate teacher Carol Kelly.

"It's all about reading and good literature," said Rushe, who appeared on the school's new channel with representatives from each classroom to read the "Salutations" piece, when Wilbur first meets Charlotte. "Who wouldn't want to be part of that?"

[Last modified December 20, 2006, 07:15:28]