Highway Patrol officers read to elementary students

Julie Smith/News Tribune photo:
Cooper Snellen, second from right, holds his nose as Lt. Steve Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol tells him what it's like to be hit with pepper spray. Johnson and other MSHP members visited with fourth grade students during lunch Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, at East Elementary School. As part of DEAR Day at the school, Johnson and several members of the MSHP spent about an hour interacting with and reading to students. DEAR is an acronym for drop everything and read and is a once-a-month activity at the school during which community members are invited to visit the school and read in the classrooms. Seated with Snellen are, Tinley Newton, at right, Sirjohn Cole to his right, Lance Weed and Margot Forrester.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Cooper Snellen, second from right, holds his nose as Lt. Steve Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol tells him what it's like to be hit with pepper spray. Johnson and other MSHP members visited with fourth grade students during lunch Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, at East Elementary School. As part of DEAR Day at the school, Johnson and several members of the MSHP spent about an hour interacting with and reading to students. DEAR is an acronym for drop everything and read and is a once-a-month activity at the school during which community members are invited to visit the school and read in the classrooms. Seated with Snellen are, Tinley Newton, at right, Sirjohn Cole to his right, Lance Weed and Margot Forrester.

Capt. Justin McCullough of the Missouri State Highway Patrol read aloud a children's book about a bear walking around the forest in a pair of underwear.

For the East Elementary students he was reading to, it was a special time called "drop everything and read," or DEAR, time.

And just about every time he read the word "underwear," a ripple of giggles moved through the kindergarten students seated on the carpet in front of him.

In the story, the absent-minded bear left his house in a pair of underwear, drawing stares and confusion from all the woodland animals that he met along the way. In the end, the bear's friend saved him some embarrassment by explaining to the snickering forest creatures that bears wearing underwear is the latest fashion trend. It's a story about friendship and sticking up for one another.

And to kindergarten students in particular, it's pretty funny.

Buffy Atout, East Elementary librarian, said when she began working in her position, she wanted to make it her mission to bring the community into the school in a positive way and to influence children to read more. Members of the Highway Patrol were visiting Friday during drop everything and read time to do just that.

She said the school has also had visiting readers from the National Guard, Lincoln ROTC, Jeffferson City athletics and local radio stations. She's also had older students visit younger students to read and would like to have Lincoln athletes and district leaders come in later this year. She said she's always looking for community volunteers and said they can reach her at [email protected].

Atout said there's a time at the end for students to ask questions about what the guest readers do, which she said provides "an opportunity for kids to learn about professions, and then getting that community connection also."

The district also has a JC Reads week in March in which the whole district focuses on reading for the week.

photo Julie Smtih/News Tribune Cpt. Justin McCullough reads to kindergarten students at East Elementary School during DEAR Day activities. DEAR or drop everything and read is a once-a-month activity at the school.