Literary Characters Come to Life at Archway Veritas

At Archway Veritas, scholars and faculty recently held their time-honored annual event, Great Hearts Great Books Day. This day is a celebration of literature, where the lower school students and staff dress up as their favorite characters from beloved books and historical figures they’ve learned about in school. The day is designed to reinforce the importance of reading and literature, while also encouraging creativity and imagination that goes into the costumes

“Great Hearts Great Books Day is a perfect day for the kids to celebrate all of the literature they’ve read at Archway, but also all of their favorite books at home,” explained 3^rd grade teacher, Sheena Barton. “We love to instill a love of reading at school.”

“The requirement for the costume is that the student chooses a literary character or a historical figure that has left an imprint on them,” shared Barton. “Or just their favorite characters that have sparked their imagination whenever they’re reading a book.”

The celebration allows students to immerse themselves in the roles of characters who inspire them. For instance, fourth-grade students, who have read The Wizard of Oz as part of their curriculum, dressed up as characters from the classic novel. The 2^nd grade teaching teams joined in the fun, donning costumes like the Glenda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. “I have seen so many Dorothy’s running around,” added Barton.

The third grade teaching teams chose to dress as ancient historical figures. Since third graders study ancient Rome, they decided to take on the personas of Roman gods and goddesses. Barton herself dressed as Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, which she felt was fitting as her students are looking to claim victory at the school’s Field Day this year.

In addition to costumes, the day featured special literature-themed activities. Senior class readers from Veritas Prep visited classrooms to read books aloud, answering students’ questions, and sharing insights. Mario Avent, a guest reader and professional storyteller captivated the students with expressive voices and sound effects to act out stories in the school’s performing arts center.

Throughout Great Hearts Great Books Day, students had ample opportunities to read on their own, with partners, and with older “reading buddies,” allowing them to immerse themselves in literature from morning to afternoon.

“The value of this day is that it is just a really special time that we can honor reading,” said Barton. “It gives everyone a chance to be creative and to dress up and just have fun and truly enjoy reading for the pleasure that it is,” she shared. “It’s so fun seeing their eyes light up when they see each other’s costumes and if we read a book with their character in it and everyone looks at that character and it’s just a really great way to build community.”

“We hold books so dear to our heart and we’re always choosing great books for our kids to read,” said Barton. “We want them to not only learn from the books, but to truly enjoy the books and to truly enjoy the characters,” added Barton. She shared how many of the virtues that are taught at the academy are also displayed in the characters and stories they read. “It all just ties into what Great Hearts stands for.”

If you have a story you’d like to see featured by Great Hearts, please contact Jason Moore at jason.moore@greathearts.org.