Williams reads 31 books to classes in frigid conditions

Democrat Photo/Paula Earls
Principal Daniel Williams lowers books in a bucket to California fifth grade students after he read to them.  Each class at California came outside with books to hoist up for him to read from the rooftop as part of the Principal's Challenge.
Democrat Photo/Paula Earls Principal Daniel Williams lowers books in a bucket to California fifth grade students after he read to them. Each class at California came outside with books to hoist up for him to read from the rooftop as part of the Principal's Challenge.

By PAULA EARLS

Democrat Staff

Daniel Williams, principal of California Elementary School, accepted the Principal Challenge through Pizza Hut Book-It to potentially earn books for his school library.

Early Tuesday, Nov. 12, he climbed to the top of California Elementary bundled in warm clothing with books in hand to read from 7:50 a.m. - 3 p.m., from the top of the school building. The temperatures in California Tuesday ranged from 23 - 38 degrees. Williams stated he was a bit cool in the morning hours, however, in the afternoon the sun came out and the weather was not so bad.

Throughout the day classes took books out to him, placed them in a bucket and hoisted them to the roof where he retrieved them and read aloud. By days end Williams had read 31 books to California Elementary students plus 228 pages from his personal book "Happy, Happy, Happy" by Phil Robertson.

The challenge celebrates National Young Readers Week held Nov. 11-15 across the United States.

Williams is in hopes to win 101 copies of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard," the eighth in the series, for the California Elementary School library.

The contest ends Nov. 15 and the winner will be notified by phone.

Book-It is the longest-running, corporate-supported reading incentive program in the nation, launched in 1985 by Pizza Hut and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

On the Web: www.pizzahut.com/bookit