Reading week celebrated at Thornton Elementary

It was a rainy day on Monday, June 4, but inside Thornton Elementary School students were participating in Reading Week “Travel the Summer with Reading.”

Ms. Stephanie Rego invited Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena to read to her third grade class. The mayor read the story “Officer Buckle and Gloria” by Peggy Rathmann. “I feel that this is a great story for the mayor to read to the class. It talks about how students need to follow the rules, so that they are safe in school,” said Ms. Rego.

It was one of the very few times the Mayor used an ELMO to project a book on a big screen. He had the students vote, like in a democracy, whether they wanted to sit on the floor in a group or at their seats. While reading, Polisena expanded on some of the concepts in the book and used them as teachable moments.

After the Mayor was finished reading, he shared some information about his life. He told the students that he used to be on a rescue and a nurse for 18 years. He also teaches students at the Community College of Rhode Island. His political career started in the Senate and then he was elected to be the Mayor of Johnston almost 12 years ago. Polisena informed the students that he is responsible for the Police, Fire, Public Works, and Recreation Department for the town. His favorite part of his job is talking to young boys and girls, and letting them know that they own the town. He said “approximately 30,000 residents own Johnston.” Polisena went to Thornton Elementary School, then Ferri Middle School, followed by Johnston High School as a student.

When Polisena was finished, the students were eager to ask him some questions. Some of those questions included: What are you going to do when you are done being mayor, when were you born, do you spend a lot of money, how do you know when it is going to snow, where do you live, is your house big, and do you have a lot of paperwork to do.

Reading week ran from June 4 to June 8 at Thornton Elementary School, where several guest readers will be visiting classrooms throughout this time. (Submitted text and photos)