Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 28, 1991 TAG: 9102280302
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CHECK LENGTH: Medium
"I did 26 weddings last year, but none like this,' said Roy Turpin, who delivers bread to the school and is pastor of Duncan's Chapel and Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren.
The 6-foot-4 bride wore a formal white gown. The 4-foot-10 bridegroom wore a black tuxedo complete with top hat. "Paul" barely reached the shoulder of his (rather, her) bride, "Roberta."
The role of the bride was played by Peak and the bridegroom by Board.
Peak was thrust into his role of blushing bride when the Check pupils took up his dare to read 5,000 books from October to January.
The wedding party included some of the standouts among those who read more than 6,000 books - 1,000 more than the goal. Some carried "book-quets" and "bookeneers" during the processional.
"I read so many books because I wanted to be in the wedding," said kindergartner Angie Eanes, 6, who helped carry Peak's train. "I haven't been in too many weddings."
Fourth-grader Alex Triplett, 10, read the most books - 310. His reward was serving as an usher and groomsman in the wedding.
"I just wanted to, I felt like [reading]," said Triplett. "I've always liked it. In school, I used to read instead of doing all my assignments in the second grade."
And the effect of reading was not lost on the wedding party.
"I like to read, it's fun," said Jessica Aspell, 11, a fifth-grader and a bridesmaid. "It makes me use my imagination more than I'm used to."
The wedding idea began as a way to promote reading throughout the school.
"We're were talking with the Chapter I [a reading program] teacher," said Peak. "I told her my dad once was in a wedding for the Lion's Club. I said I'd be willing to do the same if it was going to help. So, here we are."
The wedding was a celebration of reading. Posters on the auditorium walls saluted the outstanding readers in each class. The stage was decorated with book covers and large-scale models of books, ranging from Cinderella to the Sweet Valley High series.
The bride and bridegroom promised to be reading partners until "the last page is turned" before exchanging library cards. A student choir sang "Read to Me" and "Read to Me Only" in honor of the couple.
The enthusiasm of the students turned the school's library into a busy place.
"Circulation has increased," said librarian Isabel Lovett, who played the jilted "Ike" in the skit. "Students have been checking out between 400 and 500 books a week."
There were intermediate goals along the way. At 3,000 books, reached in January, the teachers dressed as their favorite storybook characters. At an awards assembly each month, the top reader in each class was presented a certificate and a prize. A display in front of the office tracked how many books the students had read.
Then came the wedding, the program's final reward.
But the ultimate reward for the students may be learning the joy of reading.
"The most exciting thing since the beginning of the year has been to see students who didn't like to read, reading like crazy," said Tommi Jones, the reading teacher at Check. "What they see is reading is fun and exciting and not just work."
Jones estimates that the students will have read about 7,500 books by the end of February.
The wedding may have another benefit for Check. The school's PTA hopes to sell videotapes of the ceremony. Also, there are tentative plans for re-enacting the ceremony for the general public.\
by CNB