MAYOR VERGA TO READ SELF-AUTHORED CHILDREN’S BOOK TO CAPE ANN KINDERGARTENERSFebruary 2, 2023
Local literacy program celebrates Gloucester’s 400th anniversary with local authors reading to the students of Cape Ann. Gloucester, MA – First R Foundation is pleased to announce that special authors will read to the kindergarteners and first graders in Gloucester’s public schools this year in celebration of Gloucester’s quadricentennial celebration. To kick off the festivities, Mayor Greg Verga will visit the kindergarten classrooms at Veterans’ Memorial School in Gloucester on February 9, 2023 to read aloud and distribute individual copies of his self-authored children’s book, Fresh Eggs, to the students. This year, First R’s quadricentennial festivities commenced with the presentation of Virginia Lee Burton’s Katy and the Big Snow, the celebrated 1943 tale set in “Geopolis,” a town modeled after Burton’s beloved Gloucester. Mayor Verga’s book will follow in February. Verga penned this tale when his children were young and inquisitive. While building a chicken coop in the backyard, he decided to turn the process into an educational lesson about sustainable growing practices and engaging the kids in the experience. Verga has a great appreciation for early childhood education, having served on Gloucester’s school committee for eight years. “I am excited to be a part of the First R Foundation’s literacy program and to share my book with Gloucester’s students,” said Verga. “Reading is such a huge part of a child’s education, and I hope that my book will inspire them to read more and to pursue their own passions and interests.” Verga is a longtime supporter and reader in First R’s literacy program. The goal of the foundation is to improve the reading and comprehension skills of young children in a school environment through oral reading of books by professional, political, and civic leaders of the Cape Ann community. The program emphasizes the value of reading and empowers students in their community by meeting leaders in their own classroom, who in turn, are given a firsthand experience in a public-school setting. The volunteers leave a copy of the book with each classroom teacher. In addition, First R will distribute individual copies of books written by local authors and set on Cape Ann to each K-1 student several times during the quadrennial year. Mayor Verga’s Fresh Eggs will be the first book individually distributed in 2023. “Studies are proving that reading on tablets and phones is not the same as reading a hard copy book,” First R’s executive director Pat Earle said. “When children are introduced to books early on, they can comprehend better, develop better executive functioning skills, and manage their time better.” First R Foundation is 501 (c)(3) organization formed with the purpose of fostering a love of reading in students from an early age. Earle funds the program through private donations and can purchase thirty books per month for classrooms. Since its founding in 2002, the foundation has grown to over 50 volunteers and has gifted over 10,000 books to kindergarteners and first graders. For additional resources and information, visit First R at https://www.firstrfoundation.org/. For information and updates on Gloucester’s 400+ festivities, visit their website here. ### For additional information, please contact Maureen Ryan Thorpe, Digital Marketing Manager, First R Foundation, at maureen.thorpe@comcast.net or 978-319-2968.
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