PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset ended its Basic Education and Literacy month with its second annual Reading Slumber Fun pajama party. The event attracted well over 100 children between the ages of 4-11, dressed in their pajamas who came along with their blankets, pillows, and ready for an evening of dramatic storytelling, a puppet show and a movie.
The month of September is recognized by Rotary clubs worldwide as Basic Education, Literacy and New Generations month, where Rotary clubs focus on advocating the importance of Basic education and Literacy through various projects and literacy programs. During the month of September, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset embarked on several initiatives incorporating the theme of the month.
The Reading Slumber Fun was a pajama party themed event, which incorporated dramatic storytelling, puppet shows, and an educational movie. The event was geared at advocating the importance of reading in a fun and interactive way. The event kicked off at 6:00 pm with pre-registration and the official event started at 7:00 pm with a welcome address by President Jaida Nisbett and the club’s Service Projects Chair, Kimberley Duzong. The children sat comfortably with their blankets and pillows while they attentively listened to the various storytelling performances.
The main performers for the evening were; Mrs. Rita Carty, Mr. Isaac Carty and Ms. Joy Carty, Mr. GQ Learie Hall, Mr. Garfield Young, Mrs. Greta Marlin, and Ms. Cecilly Nicholas, who read her own published children’s book. The children were also entertained with a puppet show by Teachers United Puppet show, who gave a rendition of the George Washington Carver story, with an underlying message of the importance of education. The children were treated to Pizza and refreshments and before the event came to an end, the children received popcorn in time for the movie “Bedtime Stories”.
As a token of appreciation and participation, each child was presented with Rotary branded pencils and the Rotary Four-Way Test coloring book, a coloring book of short stories which is geared toward teaching children about Rotary’s core values and the virtues of the Four-Way Test.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to the parents as well as the children who participated, the story readers and puppeteers; Garfield Young, Greta Marlin, Rita, Joy, and Isaac Carty, Learie Hall, Cecilly Nicholas, Teacher’s United Puppet Show, and to the sponsors Captain’s Rib Shack, Domino’s Pizza, Specks Kiddie Corner and the John Larmonie Center.
