World Book Day was given a bit of a makeover this year at Windermere School, as the children attending the Elleray Campus were challenged to read stories from different cultures around the world.
The result was a representation of countries from across the globe, and from almost every continent, demonstrating a real celebration of internationalism. Mexico, South Africa, Japan and Russia, to name but a few, were all present in school assembly, thanks to the children’s, and their parents’, efforts to create such a wonderful array of outfits. Certainly, Elleray had an international air about it this week, as Russian Princesses sashayed along the red carpet and into the front hall; Aladdin stood at the door and shouted, “Open Sesame”; various African animals marauded up and down the corridors of the school; and Mufaro’s beautiful daughters looked stunning.
Erica Ferreira, Head of English at Elleray, had decided to do something a little different this year; “Being a member of the Round Square Group of Schools, we are always keen to embrace the six Round Square pillars: Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service. Our World Book Day theme was chosen with this in mind and allowed our international students from the senior school to spend time with our primary age pupils, sharing stories from their own countries and answering questions about different cultures and experiences.”
As well as dressing up as characters from their chosen books, the school also ran a competition for the pupils. Simply titled, ‘Where do you like to read?’, the pupils had to submit a photo of themselves reading in a place one would not usually associate with this quiet pastime.
The breadth of entries demonstrated real imagination and included reading while riding a pony; sailing on Lake Windermere; riding a bouncy toy in the park; hidden in the laundry cupboard of a hotel. The winning entries came from Tom Johnson and Felix Stewart, who were snapped reading in their boats.
Mrs Thomas, Head of the Elleray Campus at Windermere School, was delighted with the level of enthusiasm shown by the children for this year’s World Book Day; “Our English curriculum includes a rich and varied selection of books, which allowed the children to really embrace this year’s World Book Day. The effort that has gone into both the outfits and the photo competition, shows just how motivated our children are by the books around them.”