500 Men Read

The Harrisburg School District participated in the 500 Men Read this past week. Molly Thompson, '13 Messiah alumna and now a teacher at Downey, was in charge of organizing the event at Downey School. She shared, "on Tuesday, March 3rd, Downey participated in a community event, 500 Men Reading. Floyd Stokes and the American Literacy Cooperation began in 2001. Since then, they have reached thousands of children with the mission to promote literacy in Central Pennsylvania. This year, the event was a huge success. Men from many different areas representing various careers took the time to read to our students and share a little more about their experiences with school and reading, in general. There were 25 readers at Downey who were escorted around the building by 28 student leaders. The men read a book to every classroom and, more importantly, spent time getting to know the leaders at Downey School. Both the readers and students enjoyed the opportunity and are looking forward to participating again next year!”

Among Downey’s guests, Ron Caliborne from ABC News, and Eddie Martin, Special Assistant for the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Education participated in the event. In addition to reading with students, they joined some of Downey’s staff, community partners, and both the district Superintendent and Assistant in a discussion and lunch. This was a great opportunity for everyone to share about the progress Downey has been making through Together for Tomorrow and the implementation of The Leader in Me. It was also a chance to be honest about the challenges that Downey and the district are facing and to gain support.

All throughout the day compliments were made about the positive leadership skills Downey students exemplified. Thank you, Downey leaders, for being great hosts and thanks to all of our guests who volunteered time in investing in Downey’s student leaders. ​