Guest readers bring a message of diversity to PBE students

This is Diversity Week at Pine Bush Elementary School! On Monday special guest readers were welcomed into classrooms to read some wonderful books to our students. District personnel, local officials and police officers took their turns reading books about being different.

A man wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants sits and reads a book to a class of pre-K students.

Superintendent Brian Dunn stopped by Lori Malara’s kindergarten class to read “Isabel and Her Colores Go to School.” The book is about a little girl who speaks Spanish and is entering a new school . She is learning new ways to communicate as well as making new friends.

A man with glasses and short dark hair sits and reads to two children. He holds the book down so a girl can look at it.

Pine Bush Elementary School secretary Pam Fanning read “What’s the Difference? Being Different is Amazing” to Shannon Stack’s pre-K class. And that’s the message to young readers. While being different is amazing, celebrating what we have in common is important too.

A woman sits in front of a class and reads a book to them.

Officer Geraghty was in Demitra Bowen’s class reading “My Brother Charlie” to her second graders. The book is written from the point of view of Charlie’s sister. Charlie has autism and his brain works differently. He may have difficulties making friends or expressing himself with words, but there are so many amazing things he can do!

A male police officer sits in front of a class reading a book.

A man wearing a shirt and tie stands in front of a classroom reading a book.

Town of Crawford Supervisor Charlie Carnes read for Dina DiNoto’s third-graders. His book was “Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You” by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. In this book, kids are encouraged to look at being different as something beautiful, like the different flowers in a garden. Children with different challenges work together to create a community garden, asking questions of each other. That’s how we learn – Just ask!

A man in a blue jacket holds up a book as he reads it to a class.

Some fifth-grade students got to meet their future principal and assistant principal as Stephen Wilder and Chris Mummery from Crispell read Emmanuel’s Dream. This is the true story of a boy from Ghana in Africa who was born with one deformed leg. His mom taught him to always reach for his dreams, no matter what anyone else thinks. He has continued to do that, working on behalf of disabled people, celebrating those who triumph over adversity.

A man with glasses, wearing a shirt and tie holds up a book as he reads it to his students.

The students loved having the guests in their classrooms. Some were familiar faces from the building like Principal Eric Winter, Assistant Principal Jenn Fitzgerald, and Ms. Fanning and Ms. Betty from the front office. Others were faces not as familiar but became familiar before the reading ended.

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Guest readers bring a message of diversity to PBE students