The Sydenham Community and Bayview Public School communities continue to proactively plan for their union at the new East Ridge Community School effective September 2017. To closely coincide with World Book Day, a literacy event organized by Sydenham's School Council on Thursday, April 20, 2017 included participation from both schools to raise funds for the creation of a book nook at East Ridge.
To start the morning, a school-wide 30-minute read-a- thon was held at Sydenham and Bayview in memory of former Bluewater District School Board Trustee and local children's author Linda Hamill, for her invaluable contributions to education and literacy. Students were encouraged to wear their jammies as each of them took some time to get lost in a book to celebrate a love of
reading. A one dollar contribution from each participating student at Sydenham was equally matched by the School Council with all monies going towards the book nook, a cozy welcoming area in the library at East Ridge that will be used by classes, small working groups, one-on- one tutors, occupational therapists, and others.
Following the read-a- thon, activities continued at Sydenham for the remainder of the day.
During the noon hour, several local celebrity readers were on hand to share their favourite children's books with kindergarten to 
Grade 4 students. Some of the guest readers included City of Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Arlene Wright, Sydenham Past Principal Keith Lefebvre, former NHL goalie Curtis Sanford, radio personalities Bob Wallace and Diana Meder, former Olympic downhill skier Larisa Yurkiw, among others.
The day concluded with a writer's workshop for Grades 5 to 8 students featuring local author/blogger Jesse Wilkinson and local musician/songwriter and former Sydenham student Marshall Veroni. The students received an engaging lesson on blog writing, which was followed by an opportunity to participate in a blogging competition in addition to a live musical performance by Marshall.
To acknowledge their involvement in promoting the importance of literacy, students received brand new East Ridge book marks funded through Sydenham's School Council. Students and staff were excited to hold in their hands the first ever promotional item for East Ridge!
Knowing how to read is just the beginning. Motivating young people to keep reading, comprehend what they read, and develop the ability to think creatively are the end goals. The Sydenham and Bayview school communities wish to thank all those who supported this excellent initiative to celebrate the power of words and raise a community of readers!
