PEC staff in local classrooms to Read Across America
Pedernales Electric Cooperative Energy Service Advisor Pam Roy read to students at LBJ Elementary School in Johnson City in 2019, the last year the cooperative was able to celebrate Read Across America Day because of the pandemic, which closed schools in 2020. The program is back on track in 2023 with readings planned in Marble Falls and Bertram elementary schools. Courtesy photo
Pedernales Electric Cooperative employees will be reading to students in Marble Falls and Bertram elementary schools on March 2 during Read Across America Day, a National Education Association initiative. This is the first time since the pandemic that PEC has been able to participate in the nation’s largest celebration of reading.
This year, the co-op teamed up with recognizable community figures, inviting local icons to read their favorite book on camera. One read-aloud video will be posted on the cooperative’s YouTube and social media channels every day this week. The videos also will be shared with members, educators, after-school programs, and libraries. “Celebrity” readers include:
- Kristen Currie, KXAN meteorologist, reading “The Wonder of Thunder” by Sharon Purtill;
- Christine Delisle, mayor of Leander, reading “The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton;
- Coleman Peavy, Lake Travis Fire Rescue firefighter, reading “Fire! Fuego! Brave Bomberos” by Susan Middleton Elya;
- Vanessa Roeder, children’s book author, reading her book “The Box Turtle;”
- and Julie C. Parsley, CEO of PEC, reading “The Most Magnificent Thing” by Ashley Spires.
“We’re proud to partner with familiar faces who kids across the Texas Hill Country may recognize from their hometowns, neighborhoods, and even TV,” said Celeste Mikeska, PEC senior Community Outreach specialist. “Together, we can continue to enrich our communities by inspiring young students to experience the power of reading.”
PEC’s involvement in Read Across America Day is just one example of the cooperative’s community involvement. For more, visit pec.coop/community.