NJEA Vice President Steve Beatty and Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson visited High Bridge Middle School (HBMS) to read to students from the novel Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Every student and staff member in the building is reading Fish in a Tree as part of the One Book, One School initiative.
“Coming off the pandemic, we found that our students were searching for connection and missing many of the social emotional skills that make good students, citizens, and humans overall,” said Katie Franks, guidance counselor at HBMS. “One Book, One School is a program where the entire school community, including students, teachers, administrators, support staff, custodians, and many more, read the same book at the same time, creating an opportunity to build connection while discussing the important themes of the novel.”
Beatty, who read with Kayla Turner’s eighth grade class, met up with a former student, Melissa Betz, who is now a math teacher at HBMS and is one of the organizers of the One Book, One School program.
Robertson read with Caryn Snider’s fifth grade class and discussed the book with students. She was so impressed with the book, she plans to give a copy to her niece.
Other guest readers have included staff, administrators, the mayor of High Bridge, parents, Congressman Tom Kean, and State Senator Douglas Steinhardt.
This is the second year of the One Book, One School initiative at High Bridge.