To the Editor:
We are happy to say that Reading Rocks! raised over $38,000 this year for the Wilton Education Foundation! Reading Rocks! has raised more than $542,000 since its inception 13 years ago.
Reading Rocks! kicked off with “Dress Like a Rockstar Day” at Miller-Driscoll and Cider Mill Schools on Jan. 19. Participation spanned students across both schools, and featured a special hallway performance by Cider Mill’s own Jazz Band students. The talented Miller-Driscoll music faculty welcomed their students with a hallway concert as they entered school for the day.
As part of Reading Rocks!, Miller-Driscoll and Cider Mill celebrated World Read Aloud Day on Feb. 7. Both schools welcomed over 70 members of the community into each classroom to read a book selected in collaboration with the school librarians. Officers from the Wilton Police Department participated by reading at both schools and delighted the students by answering their questions after reading.
“I know for me, the Reading Rocks day is one that I look forward to each year,” Chief Tom Conlan said. “It is a day where we get connected with the children of Wilton in the comfort of their classrooms. The students and staff at all the Wilton Schools could not be more welcoming to our officers who volunteer to read. I know it is an extremely rewarding experience for myself and our officers.”
Cider Mill Assistant Principal Jeremy Cross extolled the benefits of welcoming community members into the schools on World Read Aloud Day. “Having community members read to students on World Read Aloud Day fosters connections and broadens perspectives, enriching our students’ experiences with the magic of storytelling.”
The Wilton Education Foundation (WEF) will partner with Wilton Public Schools to determine where to focus funds from this year’s Reading Rocks!
WEF Fundraising Co-Chair Jennifer Carvajal said she is consistently blown away by the excitement and engagement around the annual program.
“Donations go right back into our Wilton Public Schools to fund professional development and special projects. Most recently, we were thrilled to support a partnership between Ambler Farm and the Genesis Program. This maple-sugaring experience truly supported students ‘beyond the classroom,’ which is one of our primary missions,” Carvajal said. “We have some exciting grants in the works, and we are grateful for your continued support. Thank you to the Wilton community for supporting Wilton Education Foundation!”
We are also grateful for the continued support and sponsorship from the Stroup family.
Now on to the winners! Winning special prizes for highest Cider Mill House and Miller-Driscoll grade participation were Belden Hill at CM and kindergarten at M-D. Although our main goal is to get to 100% participation for Reading Rocks! we want to give a special shout-out to our top two fundraisers: third-grader Davis Janey (the leading fundraiser for his third year in a row) who raised $2,655, and first-grader June Schnitzer who raised $800. As a token of gratitude for going above and beyond, a book of each child’s choosing will be donated to the Miller-Driscoll and Cider Mill libraries, in their name.
The Grand Prize of an iPad went to Grace McVeety in Ms. Redin’s third grade class! In response to winning the Grand Prize, Grace said, “I was so surprised to win the grand prize! Thank you Reading Rocks!”
In addition to the generosity of the Stroup Family, the Wilton Education Foundation would like to thank the following community sponsors for their continued support throughout the year:
Outdoor Sports Center
Caraluzzis
Wilton Tire and Auto
360 Painting
Bayer & Black PC
Ring’s End
Village Market
Bridgewater Prep
Kaoud’s Rugs
Riverbrook YMCA
Be on the lookout for Reading Rocks! 2025 next winter. In the meantime, WEF’s Get Smart for Wilton 5K is coming up this spring and is another fun way to support the Wilton Education Foundation. Information about other events and programs run by WEF throughout the year can be found online.
Elizabeth Brown
Caroline Hoffman
Sarah Rondeau
Reading Rocks! Co-Chairs