Jazz music floated across the playground at Goodyear Elementary School on Thursday as students and parents lounged on blankets in the grass during the fourth annual Lunch and Literacy on the Lawn event.
Parents dropped by the school during their children’s lunch break to participate in the event, which was supported by numerous community groups, including the Marshes of Glynn Libraries, Community Church, the Junior Women’s League, the Boys & Girls Club and Amerigroup.
The goal of the event is to promote literacy for students at every reading level, said organizer LeAnn Drummond, parent involvement coordinator at Goodyear.
“Why can’t we have fun at school, reading and engaging with the teachers?” she said.
Increasing parent involvement at the school is also a major goal, Drummond said.
“It’s so the kids can read with them and they’re engaging in their child’s education,” she said.
Drummond said this year’s turnout surpassed last year’s. Volunteer readers, including former Brunswick Mayor Cornell Harvey and current Mayor Cosby Johnson, supported the event as well.
Book bags filled with resources for parents were distributed to families, and the students were able to take new books home with them.
Drummond encouraged anyone who has a student at Goodyear to come out and read next year.
“It takes a village to raise a child,” she said.
Drummond said her focus is on bridging the gap between home and school for families. Lunch and Literacy on the Lawn not only advances that effort but also helps students of all ages recognize the fun of a good book, she said.
“We need to let them know that going outside, reading a book and listening to music is cool,” Drummond said.