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With some assistance from Busch Gardens, Westside Elementary students mark Literacy Week

 
Third-grader Kira Dibble reaches out, perhaps with a bit of trepidation, to touch an alligator held by Busch Gardens educator Beth Genrizi at a Literacy Week event at Westside Elementary School.
Third-grader Kira Dibble reaches out, perhaps with a bit of trepidation, to touch an alligator held by Busch Gardens educator Beth Genrizi at a Literacy Week event at Westside Elementary School.
Published Feb. 4, 2015

SPRING HILL — The Westside Elementary School visitor walked onto the stage and looked around at the children sitting on the floor. The skinny-legged guest didn't do much else. The children were delighted anyway.

And why not? How often does a school have a pink flamingo come a-calling? He was there with Busch Gardens educators Kim Holmstrom, Amy Dachino and Beth Genrizi, who brought the long-necked bird and other critters to help kick off Literacy Week.

The students already had been hard at work expanding the School District's Literacy Week theme — "Reading Accelerates Success" — into "Wild Reading Accelerates Success Through the Jungle," incorporating the school's theme, "Unleash the Tiger." One of the school's corridors had been transformed into a path through a rainforest, with palm trees, monkeys, giraffes and tigers. Kindergartners had made green paper chains that dangled like vines from the ceiling.

The Busch Gardens program featured biodiversity by comparing the jobs connected with a rock concert to animal niches in the natural world. Holmstrom covered four jobs associated with concerts: techs, backup singers, security and cleanup. Student volunteers were invited to the stage to dress in costumes representing those jobs. Holmstrom also worked with Genrizi, who was backstage, to compare the concert jobs to those of animals in their lives.

Genrizi brought out an armadillo as a type of technician. Armadillos are great burrowers, preparing the ground for homes, and they can roll up and unroll themselves, like stage techs having to pack up and unpack equipment.

Holmstrom draped boas around the students who volunteered as backup singers. Nature's musicians include crickets and birds, and that was the point when Genrizi brought out the flamingo. She wanted it to "beep," but it apparently didn't feel like it. She also beat on the stage floor trying to get it to dance. It didn't feel like doing that either. The students still loved him.

Holmstrom mentioned giraffes as the Serengeti's security watchtowers, but she hadn't brought a giraffe to Westside. Instead, Genrizi brought out a palm cockatoo named Floyd. Floyd, Genrizi explained, can lift his crest to alert others to danger. He also has a strong beak and can be loud.

Holmstrom handed a pan and broom, apron, gloves and cleaner to her student cleanup volunteers. She talked about nature's cleanup crew — vultures. They didn't have any vultures, but Genrizi did bring out a young alligator she held on her arm. Gators can clear paths of vegetation through waterways with their tails.

With this, Holmstrom wondered what a concert needs besides techs, backup singers, security and cleanup. Oh, yeah . . . a rock star. Enter third-grade teacher Scott Urban, bedecked in a big purple hat and a boa, pretending to play a cardboard guitar. The students went wild.

The fun wasn't over yet. Each child was invited to touch the back of the tiny alligator with two fingers on the way out of the cafeteria. Hand sanitizer was provided.

Third-grader Kira Dibble, 8, shared her thoughts afterward.

"My favorite part of the show was when Mr. Urban came out, and before that it was the animals," she said. She particularly liked the alligator.

Kira's classmate, Zadrianna Garofano, 8, said her favorite part "probably (was) when the flamingo came out, because he can do some dance moves. Even though he didn't, I liked him anyway because he looked cool."

Since this was a kickoff to Literacy Week, the girls reflected on reading.

"(It) helps you learn about animals," Kira said.

She likes to read fiction.

For Zadrianna, reading is important "because it can teach you stuff about animals or can give you information about stuff, and it can help you learn."

She likes reading nonfiction.