Georgia Pre-K Week began on Monday, Oct. 5, marking a celebration of Union County’s littlest learners. The kiddos started the day off with a red-carpet entrance, for which they arrived dressed to the nines and walked off the bus through a crowd of cheering parents and teachers.
Older students even participated, as cheerleaders and student athletes greeted the youths at the door alongside the system’s panther mascot. Once inside, parents and guardians were invited to join their children for breakfast.
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Union County Pre-K Director Anna Chapman detailed a special activity every day for the preschoolers to enjoy. Mostly, this included special guests reading to the kids, or performing songs and puppet shows through Thursday, since Friday was a virtual learning day.
Primary School administration, including Principal Debby Decubellis, Assistant Principal Wesley Garrett and Chapman, put on a finger puppet play on Tuesday, while Wednesday saw a special book reading by School Superintendent Dr. John Hill, Chief Compliance Officer Dr. David Murphy and Chief Academic Officer C.T. Hussion. Thursday closed out with a visit by Transportation Director Kody Owenby and Ginger Davenport.
“Mr. Owenby normally does ‘Wheels on the Bus,’ and it’s very interactive – the kids love it,” noted Chapman.
On Monday, however, State Rep. Stan Gunter visited with wife Rita and read “Every Amazing Song.” Co-authored by Coy Bowles of the Zac Brown Band and former NFL player Malcolm Mitchell, Gunter made a point of telling the children about how important literacy is by sharing Mitchell’s own story.
Mitchell didn’t learn to read until he was in college. After he taught himself, he was inspired to spread that joy to others by publishing children’s books and founding the Share the Magic Foundation, which aims to promote and improve reading skills.
While last year’s book walked through the fun of storytelling, this year invited children to come up with their own song and explore the different elements of music. As part of Georgia Pre-K Week, they will have the opportunity to hear the song that goes with the book in the classroom, Chapman said, along with completing crafts.
As he read, Gunter invited the children to follow the same actions that Michell and Bowles did in the story, such as clapping their hands and stomping their feet. When asked if they enjoyed the book, the entire pre-k answered Gunter with a resounding “yeah” before he invited them to have a musical day.
To raise awareness of the importance of early learning, Georgia Pre-K Week has been organized by the Voices for Georgia’s Children and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Now in its 16th year, Georgia Pre-K Week pushes everyone from community members to state and local legislators to support the education of the youngest generation.
“This is a week recognized by the state for all of the state pre-k programs that are lottery-funded,” explained Chapman. “Every pre-k program across the state is doing something special this week.”
In all, the kids had a great time Monday, judging from their excited reaction to Gunter’s reading, and were all set for the fun-filled week ahead.
