By Lynn Hatter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-882000.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Department of Education kicked off its statewide reading initiative Monday at the Capitol. The event is called Literacy Week and features volunteers and authors going into classrooms and libraries to encourage children and adults to become more involved. During Monday's unveiling, the students of Gadsden County Magnet School performed a reading chant to the rhythmic, percussive sounds created by stamping their hands and feet.
"There's no telling what you can achieve! So stop, drop, and read!" shouted the group, their chants echoing through the Capitol halls.
Reading is the message this week, and at the event over 200-students had the opportunity to hear it, like Crystal and Devin from Marchman Technical School in Pasco County. The students designed a public service announcement that earned a first place win from the Florida Department of Education.
"I've always loved reading. In second grade, I started reading mystery books and then third grade I jumped into Harry Potter. I went from twenty-pages to 600-page books without anything in between," said Devin.
For Crystal, the love of reading came later.
"I am the complete opposite. The first ten years of my life I hated reading. I couldn't stand it. But then I saw the Lord of the Rings movie, and I couldn't get enough, and I decided to read all the books."
Throughout the week, reading sessions and PSA's like the ones designed by the Marchman students will air across the state. The goal is to promote literacy. In the last several years, the state's reading scores have risen. But according to the Department of Education, twenty-percent of the state's population remains illiterate.