Clayton News Daily

Students sit in on a reading session during an annual event at Stockbridge Elementary School to promote literacy among families.

Students happily roamed the familiar hallways in search of an adventure or two given to them through interactive reading.

Second-grader Khallida Muhammad was visibly entertained by one exhibit during Stockbridge Elementary School's Fourth Annual Family Reading Night.

"I think it's wonderful," said her mother, Danna Muhammad. "All of the activities are engaging."

This year's reading night was deemed the SES Safari Literacy Night, which included one of the seven-year-old's favorite exhibits, the Lion Lake exhibit. The Lion Lake exhibit was one of 17 exhibits featuring ways to read through story telling, music, technology and art, according to Stockbridge Literacy Coach Adriene Lanier, who spearheaded the event.

The school hosted its annual literacy night on Sept. 1, as a way to promote literacy among students and their families. Lanier said the event included games and activities designed to make reading fun and interesting to young people.

Leading up to the annual event, she said, teachers were asked to demonstrate to parents different activities in which they can engage with their children to make reading fun for the children, at the K-3 elementary school.

"Parents have been responsive," Lanier said. "They were here before the doors were open."

The literacy coach, noting the event's annual growth, reported that more than 70 families attended the event this year.

"It's more than just reading a book, it's taking it beyond reading a book," said Lanier. "My ultimate goal is to foster a lifelong love of reading. Reading doesn't end at taking a test. Literacy is a daily part of life."