NEW LONDON, N.H. — Last night, students at Kearsarge Regional School District had the opportunity to listen to a virtual, live reading from Superintendent Winfried Feneberg of the “The Polar Express.”
“The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg tells the story of a protagonist who is given an opportunity to ride on a magic train that appears during the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. The book won the Caldecott Award in 1986, which is given annually to the most distinguished American picture book for children. It also inspired a movie counterpart in 2004.
“It brings me so much joy to be able to share this book with the district’s wonderful students,” Superintendent Feneberg said. “This is one of the books I enjoyed reading to my daughter when she was a little girl. Now she is a first grade teacher who shared this fine children’s book with her students.”
Superintendent Feneberg read the story via Facebook Live at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21. A recording of the live reading will remain available on the district’s Facebook page for the foreseeable future, at @KearsargeSAU65.
Facebook Live is a platform that the district has used for story time book readings in the past. During the spring, when schools first transitioned to remote learning due to COVID-19, teachers would use Facebook Live to read to their students and connect with their classes in a lighthearted, fun way. This fall, the district has also used Facebook Live to show parents and guardians what classrooms look like, as visitors are not allowed into the buildings this year and families haven’t had the same opportunities to visit as they have had in the past with events such as open houses.
“I’m glad that I could give our students a chance to hear a great story,” Feneberg said. “We have done these types of events in the past and they have gone fairly well. I believe that we had a great turnout and the students truly enjoyed the reading.”
###