BUCYRUS — Bucyrus City Schools hosted its first “Reading Under the Lights” event for the district’s elementary school students Thursday night at the football stadium.

To begin the three-week program, the Bucyrus High School band played and the cheerleaders performed to the music.

Diane Kaple, a Bucyrus Elementary librarian who helped put the event together, said they got the idea from another school, who did it to kick off their summer reading program. Kaple said they are always looking for more activities to do throughout the year to go with Right to Read Week and thought this would do well for the school, and would kick off their new “One School, One Book” campaign.

BES principal Mike Wallace (seated) reads with a student during Reading Under the Lights. (Photo by Kaitlyn Geiger)

The book chosen was “Wishtree” by Katherine Applegate.

“The book we chose goes with our school wide kindness theme of changing the world with kindness, one heart at a time,” Kaple said.

Wishtree is about Red, a 216-year-old red oak tree who is in the city, and she is a wish tree from an honorable tribe that hosts a centuries-old tradition found all over the world where on the first of May, people tie her branches with “rags, tags, and the occasional gym sock” with wishes written on them. She has seen it all in her life, until a new family moves and not everyone is welcoming, making her job as a wish tree more important than ever.

Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent (center) was one of the local celebrity readers. (Photo by Kaitlyn Geiger)

Families were assigned to a “celebrity” reader, which included high school athletes and band members, Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent, Bucyrus Mayor Jeff Reser, some school board members and other individuals to sit on the field under the lights with and read books with their assigned celebrity reader.

When the families left, they were given a packet with their assigned group number, the book, and a reading schedule so all the families can be on the same pace each week when they return to the field.

Bucyrus Board of Education members participated in the event for the elementary students in the district. (Photo by Kaitlyn Geiger)

As a bonus to the kids who attend the event, there will be trivia questions and vocabulary words on the announcements for chances for the kids to win prizes.

Kaple said she hopes this will create a love of books and reading in the elementary students that they will carry with them for life.