Dewey CEO and founder of World Read Aloud Day Pam Allyn joined NYCPS Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos for a live reading event at P.S. 36X Unionport in the Bronx
NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Yesterday, Dewey, an organization that creates educational products that aim to spark joy in reading and writing, celebrated the 15th annual World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) with New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos and the super readers and writers at P.S. 36X Unionport.
Dewey CEO Pam Allyn founded World Read Aloud Day with her team at LitWorld in 2010, after a student asked, "Why can't we create a birthday party for the read-aloud?"
In honor of WRAD's 15th "birthday," the Dewey team led fifth graders at P.S. 36X Unionport in the Bronx in a writing workshop, asking them to write a story responding to the question, "If you could plan a day to celebrate a big idea, what idea would you celebrate and what would the day look like?" They were then joined by their friends in the fourth grade along with New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos for a read-aloud, in which two students shared their stories. One student told the story of a day dedicated to celebrating playing games, while another proposed a new holiday for writing and drawing. Allyn read "The Word Collector," and Chancellor Aviles-Ramos read "Say Something!" — both by Peter H. Reynolds.
"World Read Aloud Day continues to be my favorite holiday every year," says Pam Allyn, founder of World Read Aloud Day and CEO of Dewey. "WRAD celebrations here in New York and around the world remind us that every child has stories to tell, and they deserve our help building the necessary literacy skills and confidence they need to express themselves. Our children already have so much capacity within them — it's up to us to help them discover that."
Allyn is on a mission to help learners of every age access the power of literacy, including skills for reading, writing, hearing, viewing, and speaking. Since its inception, WRAD has evolved into a global movement of millions of readers, writers, and listeners from communities all across the world coming together to celebrate the power of reading aloud to create community, amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.
"World Read Aloud Day serves as a reminder of the power of reading and sharing stories with one another," said NYCPS Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. "At New York City Public Schools, we are committed to fostering a love of reading in every student through literacy initiatives like NYC Reads. With targeted interventions grounded in the science of reading and a community-focused approach that includes families, we are building confident readers and bold futures."
For more information about Dewey and World Read Aloud Day, reach out to Natalie Mathes at [email protected].
About Dewey
Dewey is an organization that creates educational products with the goal of sparking joy in reading and writing. Founded in 2020, Dewey takes a unique approach to education by focusing on the powerful intersections of home, school, and everywhere in between. Unlike traditional education models, Dewey prioritizes children's fundamental academic needs by introducing playful and engaging learning tools to remove the fear and anxiety that can come with school. The four pillars that make up Dewey's program are: phonics, meaning-making, writing skills, and the power of story. Since its inception, Dewey has positively influenced the lives of 25,000 families with a wide range of products and tools available to parents, caregivers, and educators in English and Spanish with more languages in development. To learn more about Dewey visit DeweyCommunity.Com or follow Dewey on LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Natalie Mathes, The TASC Group, 1 347-901-9352, [email protected]
SOURCE Dewey
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