EASTON, Pa.(www.lafayette.edu), March 5, 2008 — Children and teens from the Easton and Phillipsburg communities will participate in a variety of activities organized by Lafayette students during the eighth annual Literacy Day celebration 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 29 in the Marlo Room of Farinon College Center and the basement of Marquis Hall.
Participants, ages 5-16, will be divided between the traditional Literacy Day program, where groups participate in activities around a centralized theme, and a Teen Conference, where the older children will gain the extra benefit from activities and workshops more suitable for their age. These workshops will begin to introduce the importance of further education and career building for the young teens.
Schools that will be participating in the event include Easton Area High School, Easton Area Middle School, Shawnee Middle School, Easton Catholic School, and Cheston Elementary. Children from the Easton Area Community Center and the Firth Youth Center Boys and Girls Club will also be in attendance.
Literacy Day activities are sponsored by many organizations, including the Landis Community Outreach Center, W.O.R.D.S. (Writing Organization Reaching Dynamic Students), Hispanic Society of Lafayette, Alpha Gamma Delta, Synchromation, Delta Upsilon, Pi Beta Phi, Delta Delta Delta, and the Lafayette Activities Forum.
For more information on Literacy Day activities, call the Landis Center at x5553.
Lafayette’s Literacy Day is in honor of the National Education Association’s Dr. Seuss’ Reading Day. The theme for this year is “Shining through Sharing” and the book being used is The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
Alberto Luna ’08 (Bronx, N.Y.), who is double-majoring in English and psychology, serves as the chair of the Literacy Day committee.
“We expect the students to embrace the importance of literacy as well as find greater perspective about the values that are acquired through reading and learning. Also, they will be able to interact with college students from many backgrounds, which should instill hope for them to also one day reach that point in their education,” says Luna. “Lafayette volunteers will able to experience firsthand working with children from different cultures and socioeconomic classes. It will be an eye-opening as well as a humbling experience as Lafayette students spare a few hours to be role models and influence a child's life.”
Other Literacy Day committee members are Jillian Carinci ’08 (Wilmington, Del.), who is majoring in chemistry; Sarah Maxwell ’09 (West Chester, Pa.), who is majoring in international affairs; Marquis Scholar Steven Roe ’08 (Lackawaxen, Pa.), who is majoring in mechanical engineering; Marquis Scholar Ramona Fittipaldi ’11 (New York, N.Y.); Chris LaTempa ’10 (Pompton Plains, N.Y.), who is majoring in government & law; Crystal Burey ’10 (Saint Albans, N.Y.), who is majoring in English; Marquis Scholar Caroline Richardson ’10 (Monmouth Junction, N.J.), who is majoring in biochemistry; Sara Walter ’09 (Kempton, Pa.), who is double-majoring in history and government & law and Spanish; Devin Canavan ’09 (Milford, N.J.), who is double-majoring in government & law and economics & business; Joshua Shek ’09 (Forest Hills, N.Y.), who is majoring in economics & business; Marximiliano Pozo ’10 (Bronx, N.Y.); Kaitlyn Reilly ’11 (Haskell, N.J.); Millicent Barry ’10 (Somerville, N.J.); and Marquis Scholar Diana Galperin ’08 (Warminster, Pa.), who is double-majoring in international affairs and French.
