Valley Students Are Phanatics For Reading

About a month before the Major League Baseball season begins, students at the Valley Elementary School got a surprise visit Monday morning from a nationally known baseball figure.

The children, gathered in their gym, thought they were simply attending a program called Batter Up for the PSSAs as a prelude to their state testing. But when they chanted "Let's Go Phillies," the Phillie Phanatic burst through the doors.

The big green furry guy was there to commend the students on being part a top performing school in the "Be a Phanatic About Reading" literacy program.

Unbeknownst to the students, Stephanie Sherman’s fifth-grade class had won the Phanatic assembly.

The Phillie Phanatic is the star of six children's books and as a result has helped turn his love of reading into the "Be a Phanatic about Reading" program for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The program, presented by Comcast, was created to encourage children to improve their literacy skills by reading for a minimum of 15 minutes a day.

The Phanatic acted out scenes from his new book. "The Phillie Phanatic’s Galapagos Islands Adventure," as Principal Eileen Martin read from the book.

"The children learned that working hard can have unexpected and wonderful results," said Martin after the event. "By reading each night, the students not only logged in hundreds of hours of reading practice, but their efforts brought recognition from the Phillies organization and the Phillie Phanatic himself. His visit validated the importance of working hard to achieve goals and the realization that reading is useful in all walks of life."

(Courtesy of the Bensalem Township School District.)