Students and staff celebrated Read Across America not just one day at Patrick M. Villano School. It was an entire week of activities with the entire school participating in a Battle of the Books and other events. Erin Amicucci, a special education teacher, helped organize the week. One of her ideas was to play a Guess Who game using clues about the staff’s reading habits.

“When I was little, I loved the game Guess Who. I always loved a good brain teaser or challenge, and Guess Who always made me think a little outside the box,” Amicucci said.

Arya Sontag, a fifth-grader, agrees.

“Yes, I enjoyed the guess who’s because there was always a chance I could win something fun even if it was small,” Sontag said.

Staff volunteered three personal reading clues. Then, each morning those clues were given during morning announcements along with a choice of three staff members’ names. Students had to decide which teacher matched the clues. They wrote their answer on a special Guess Who slip of paper.

“It was cool to see all of the teachers’ different book preferences. I enjoyed seeing if I was right or wrong,” Sontag added.

The slips of paper were sorted by grade level and put into a box. One slip of paper for each grade level was pulled daily. That student won a small prize.

“My students like to play the board game version, and I think the personalized Villano School version for Battle of the Books was such a fun experience,” Amicucci said.