First Lady Crissy Haslam Participates in Read Me Week

Mrs. Haslam visits East Hickman Elementary School to highlight the importance and fun of reading.

NASHVILLE – First Lady Crissy Haslam encouraged reading among children today at East Hickman Elementary School in Lyles, Tenn. by participating in Read Me Week. Sponsored by the nonprofit Book’em, Read Me Week encourages businesses and organizations to adopt a Nashville area school and recruit volunteers to read at the school during the week. Today, Mrs. Haslam visited with more than 145 Kindergarten students and shared her passion for reading.
“Children often perform better in school when they enjoy reading,” said Mrs. Haslam. “Special events like Read Me Week can help foster love for reading among young students and encourage them to be engaged learners as they go through school.”

Read Me Week was started at East Hickman Elementary School in 1986 by Frankie DeWees, a teacher at the school. The event was called “Read Me Week” because students, teachers and visiting readers were invited to wear a shirt, cap, or pin with a message on it, providing an opportunity for children to “read the reader.”  With the help of community volunteers, more than one thousand reading hours are donated to Nashville area elementary and preschools schools during Read Me Week each year.

“We all have a vested interest in the education of our youth,” said Mrs. Haslam. “It is tremendous that so many volunteers desire to positively impact the schools and communities in which they live and work.”

As part of the First Lady’s initiative, Mrs. Haslam promotes the importance of early literacy skills, emphasizing the value of reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade.

For more information about the First Lady’s early literacy improvement initiatives, visit www.tn.gov/firstlady.