'One Book, One School' Program Unites Elementary School In White Plains

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - With every page they turn, a children's chapter book is bringing a whole school closer together in White Plains.

And when we say the whole school, we mean it.

Most students inside Andrea Boyko's second grade class know the answer when asked, "What did Elmer learn?" If they needed help, they could probably ask a friend at the school.

"They are talking to each other, they are making predictions about what's coming next," Boyko told CBS2's Ali Bauman.

That's because from kindergarten to fifth grade, every student at Church Street Elementary School is reading the same chapter book at the same time: "My Father's Dragon," which is about a kid who goes to an island to learn how to fly.

"I love reading," said second grader Jocelyn Bodner.

"I get to read the words and look at the pictures and figure out what is going on with the story," said second grader Jayden Gonzalez.

Faculty members are reading along too: After all, the program is called "One Book, One School."

"It's a way of building a love for reading as a community," said Myra Castillo, who is the principal of Church Street Elementary.

The ladies who work in the cafeteria each have a copy of the book. So does the school nurse. Even the custodians. Members of the PTA were able to raise enough funds to purchase and hand out 700 paperback books to every single person.

"It gets everyone on one accord, they all talking about the same thing because they are all seeing the same thing," said senior custodian Jody Raynor.

"I think parents will enjoy reading it to their kids and I also enjoy it myself," said Annette Harris, who works in food service at the school. "I think it's a good book for everyone."

There are 10 chapters in the book, so everyone is supposed to read a chapter a day. Then it's discussed in their classrooms, and in their morning assemblies, or, really, all over school.

"It really is a whole school effort," said kindergarten teacher Joan Cruz.

It could be hard for the kindergarten students to read the book on their own, so faculty members recorded their voices reading each chapter and posted it online for students who need help. That makes sure they don't leave anyone out, and stand by their "One Book, One School" mantra.

It's the 10th year the school has held the event. They say every year, the excitement grows.