Staff writer
Lori Kirkpatrick recently won the “Librarian of the Month” award from KAKE TV and was featured on the Thursday evening news for her work helping promote the importance of reading among Marion students.
“When Mr. Wasmuth told me that I had won the award, I was very honored and humbled,” Kirkpatrick said.
Principal Justin Wasmuth said that he and a student’s parent nominated Kirkpatrick for the award.
“Lori was nominated because of her work in the school and especially in the library,” he said. “She started up our Family Reading Night this year, she helps with all of our testing, and every class has library every week because she sees the benefit.”
During the event, which was part of KAKE’s Reading Caravan Program, news co-anchor Susan Peters visited the elementary in the afternoon with a camera crew.
Peters read “Rosie Reverie, Engineer,” by Andrea Beaty to younger students and answered questions from older students before she presented Kirkpatrick and Wasmuth with a $500 check for the library.
“I plan to use the award money to buy books,” Kirkpatrick said. “The kids have already been sharing their ideas of the books they think I need to order!”
Kirkpatrick has been showing children the value of reading in the library for about eight years, and has been a USD 408 employee for almost 27 years.
“The benefits children gain from reading are huge,” she said. “It helps increase vocabulary and builds their imaginations.”
She said reading also teaches children about relationships, and personalities, as well as situations, and the world.
“Reading fiction and fantasy genres can help our students learn to distinguish between what is real and not real,” Kirkpatrick said. “I would encourage all parents to read to their children and listen to their children read out loud.”
Kirkpatrick’s favorite chapter book that students read is “Love, Ruby Lavender” by Deborah Wiles. She also said her love of picture books is too vast to choose just one.