Friday, March 2, was just the beginning of a wild month at Hampton Bays Elementary School. Dubbed “The Day the School Went Wild,” Friday was also the day that the annual Parents as Reading Partners (PARP) festivities got underway.

The fun started at 9 a.m. with entertainer Jay Mankita performing “Wild About Reading” songs and stories for children in pre-kindergarten through second grade. He performed again for the third and fourth graders at 10:25 a.m. In addition to promoting literacy, Mr. Mankita’s educational interactive performances included messages on kindness, respect, sustainability, healthy choices and appreciation of nature.

Sponsored by the Parent Teacher Association, PARP is a program created to instill a love of reading in children. Fundamentals of the program include encouraging parents to read with their children for at least 15 minutes daily and advocating children to read at home for pleasure as well as for education.

Students at Hampton Bays Elementary School have been challenged to read a total of 5,000 books by the end of the school year. A variety of PARP-related activities, such as book swaps and competitions, have been planned at the elementary school and in conjunction with the Hampton Bays Public Library.

“This is very important to me both as a father and a principal,” said Hampton Bays Elementary School Principal Marc Meyer during the PARP festivities on Friday. “Reading is the best!”