On the evening of March 7, during the first Family Literacy Night, children in grades pre-K to four took part in a Dr. Seuss Scavenger Hunt where families visited various locations throughout the school and participated in many fun exercises.

The activities on March 20 were designed for students in grades 5 through 8 and engaged families in a scavenger hunt that eventually led them to the word of the evening: I SURVIVED.

Sherman Principal Leslie Melquist said the second Literacy Night was ‘a hidden literacy night.’ Kids in grades 5 through 8 would participate and have a great time, without knowing ahead of time that the evening was designed to engage families with reading. ‘I’m sneaking that in!’ she added.

The event was a fantastic success, Melquist said.

Sherman students take a sample of water from an outdoor stream to complete the How To Sanitize Water station.

“I was thrilled with the turnout! The kids were running from one station to another, while parents were trying to keep up. Families were all smiles as they were leaving after completing the scavenger hunt, with many saying ‘This was great! Are you going to do it again?!’ We will definitely continue these family nights in the future.”

Upon entering the school, families were invited to scan a QR code on their phones to receive the first clue. This clue led them to the first station where they had to complete the corresponding task. After completing the task, they were given a letter, then, once again scanned a QR code to receive a clue, telling them where to go next.

When they had visited all the stations, including two that were outside of the building, students and their families unscrambled the letters they had received to come up with the word I SURVIVED.

“It’s a survival theme,” said Melquist. “Kids have to complete tasks with their families and solve a riddle.”

When all was completed, each child received a free book from the I Survived series, written by Lauren Tarshis.

Students learn to cook over a campfire during the second Family Literacy Night at Sherman Central School.

The nine stations were Building a Fire Station, Time Slipknots, Identify Animal Tracks, Target Shooting, How to Sanitize Water, Map Reading, First Aid, Edible Plants, and How to Cook Over a Fire.

“I think I’m glad I got an indoor station,” said Pat Burns, fifth grade math/science teacher with a smile. “It’s great to get kids here with their parents for this event. I love that they have to follow the clues to get to the next station.”

Burns was in charge of the Identify Animal Tracks station. Families had to identify imprints of wild animal tracks and learn which are prey animals and which are predators. The clue which led them to Burns’ station involved his therapy dog, Amber, who greeted everyone at the door.

Heather Croscut, seventh grade English /social studies teacher, who also took part in the first Family Literacy Night, was in charge of the Reading Maps station.

“It’s always fun to incorporate reading into other areas of study,” she said. “Also, the kids like to come back into the school; it’s like a home to them.”

School Counselor Shawn McKean was in charge of the How to Sanitize Water station which was located in the cafeteria. Participants had to draw a sample of water from a small stream outside and then bring it to the station and purify it through boiling, filtration or iodine purification.

“They are learning new words, such as filtration and potable,” McKean said. “Language acquisition will help them in so many ways.”

Courtney Taylor, middle and high school special education teacher, supervised the How to Cook Over a Fire station which was located outside in the bus loop.

‘ ‘I don’t mind, I love it out here,” she said as she taught students how to toast marshmallows for s’mores. “Who wouldn’t love it? After all, it’s chocolate and marshmallows.”

The I Survived series, written by Lauren Tarshis, includes such calamities as the sinking of the Titanic, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hurricane Katrina, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the Battle of Gettysburg.

There are currently 23 I Survived books published in English and each one tells of an historical event, as seen through the eyes of a survivor.

“Each book in my series tells a terrifying and thrilling story from history, through the eyes of a kid who lived to tell the tale,” said Tarshis on her Survived Series website.