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Want to succeed? Book on it, kids told

HAMMOND: Students reminded about importance of literacy on Time Out for Reading Day

BY SHARON PORTA — Times Correspondentr
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, September 9, 2005

HAMMOND | A hush fell across all of Northwest Indiana at 10 a.m. Thursday as adults and children put their noses in a book for Time Out for Reading Day.

This literacy event, started by Hammond Reads and the Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition, spread from Hammond schools and businesses to throughout the area. At the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Hammond, a video conference was set up with the federal court in Lafayette. Federal courts in South Bend and Fort Wayne also participated. "Almost all the school districts and libraries throughout Northwest Indiana are taking part," said Steve Watson, president of Hammond Reads and the Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition, sponsors of Time Out for Reading. "We are envisioning this as similar to Hands Across America, all of these people simultaneously doing the same thing -- reading."

In Hammond, kids read in libraries and school, adults took a break at City Hall, Regional Federal Credit Union sponsored a story time, and the cast of "Elephant Man" at the Towle Theater read excerpts from the book. At the courthouse, Judge Andrew Rodovich urged those in attendance to read during their spare time.

"Harry Potter books appeal to kids and adults, or you can read about your favorite sports teams in the newspaper, or biographies of your favorite players," Rodovich said. "If you like puzzles, there are mystery books, or you can learn more about science. You can travel to another part of the country and another point in time with books."

Walter Watkins, superintendent of Hammond schools, tied reading to better grades and better jobs.

"There is nothing more worthy of your recreational time than reading," Watkins said. "Reading stimulates your imagination and curiosity and opens a whole new world."

Prior to getting into school administration, Watkins was a reading specialist, working with children who had trouble with reading. He said the local children should be glad for the emphasis Hammond places on reading, particularly because it is necessary to read well to pass ISTEP tests.

"Even math skills are predicated on your ability to read and follow word problems," Watkins said. "You are going through an era of schooling when exams with so much reading determine whether you are going to the next level or graduating."

During the session at the federal courthouse, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution was read in English, Spanish and Polish. Hammond schools are so diverse that there are 51 languages spoken in students' homes.

"Reading is the basis for your imagination," said James Hornak, School Board president. "Unfortunately, a lot of people believe that literacy is tried to your economic strata, but that's not true. You can be well-read and you don't have to be well-off."

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