Topsail Hill Preserve State Park had a special guest on June 24, 2015. Florida First Lady, Ann Scott visited the park to encourage young readers to participate in the 2015 Summer Literacy Adventure.
Children from the 30A Learning Academy, Coastal Branch Library summer reading program, and kids staying in the park enjoyed learning the importance of picking up a book this summer.
The First Lady and the Florida Department of Education partnered with the Florida Lottery and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to promote the 2015 Summer Literacy Adventure. The Adventure is geared to help children stay on target, motivated and excited about reading and literacy.
The morning kicked off with park services specialist, Fred Provost talking with the children and getting them ready for the First Lady’s visit. Assistant park manager George Royal spoke about the history of Topsail, its successes, and introduced Director of Florida Park Service Donald Forgione. Forgione spoke about reading, the partnership with the Department of Education, and then introduced First Lady Ann Scott.
The First Lady read ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ shared photographs of the Governor’s mansion, her family, and their Labrador retriever. The kids were most impressed with a photograph of the Olympic size swimming pool at the mansion and asked several questions. The program ended with the kids receiving a goodie bag which included a book to read this summer.
Interested in finding a special book to read this summer? Find one geared towards your interest at: https://www.lexile.com/fab/fl/.
Learn more about the Summer Literacy Adventure at: http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/just-read-fl/. Students can fill out their Summer Literacy Adventure Pledge form at 2015 Summer Literacy Adventure. At the start of 2015 – 2016 academic year, First Lady Scott will visit the school whose students successfully completed the most pledges.