All I Do is Read, Read, Read No Matter What

Assistant Principal for Waggoner Road Elementary School, Mr. LeRoy Thornton, acts as the building's hype man, getting students excited about learning. When Principal Fowler wanted to encourage students to read, Mr. Thornton turned a popular song into a mantra. 

Then, the United Way and KPMG came to the school with a book donation to build a library. Currently, WRES partners with the Columbus Metropolitan Library who brings a cart of books once a month for students to read. Now, thanks to a 1,100-book boost, students will have a library of their own.

“Through KPMG Friends & Family for Literacy, we are proud to invest in students and families in Reynoldsburg by helping expand access to books and literacy resources,” said Kim Zavislak, Columbus Managing Partner at KPMG. “Every child deserves the opportunity to discover the joy and confidence that reading can bring. We hope these books help inspire learning, strengthen family connections, and support students both in the classroom and at home.”

“We are incredibly grateful to KPMG and KPMG Friends & Family for Literacy for investing in our students and helping us create greater access to books and literacy opportunities,” said Cheryl Wyatt, Vice President of Success by Third Grade. “This donation will have a lasting impact on students at Waggoner Road Elementary and supports our broader goal of ensuring every child has the resources they need to become confident readers.”

During the donation event, Ms. Fowler mentioned the growth students are seeing when they read. "We are also proud to serve an incredibly diverse student population here at WRES, including a 32% English Learner population," she said. "Our EL students made tremendous progress this year on the OELPA assessment, with 28% of students reaching proficiency, meaning more than one out of every four students were able to successfully exit language support services this year."

After the remarks and Ms. Zavislak read the school a book, Mr. Thornton turned up the energy, leading students in their mantra:

"All I do is READ, READ, READ, no matter what
Got books on my mind, I could never read enough
And every time I step up in the building, my grades go UP!"

Thanks to NBC4 for coming out and sharing our story!