​New Brunswick's Lieutenant Governor Brenda Murphy and her partner, Linda Boyle, were distinguished guest readers for Hubbard Avenue Elementary School's annual Literacy Day held on Jan. 24.

"I do love to read," the Lieutenant Governor said in her address. "It started because my mother loved to read to us. It was like you were right in the book, she made it so interesting. Books help us to dream and imagine. The whole time we're reading, we're learning. Learning to read and reading regularly is a tool that will help us through our lives. It's the best tool you can have. It's a tool you keep in your head and you can take it anywhere you go."

The literacy celebration began with a school assembly in the gym. Approximately 60 volunteer guest readers were in the audience including retired teachers, district staff, elected officials at the municipal, provincial and federal level, along with several hockey players from the University of New Brunswick.

Principal Bev Loker-French said literacy is of utmost importance for a good education and each year a special day is set aside at the school to celebrate a love for reading.  She commended students who took part in a recent reading challenge. A total of 11,550 minutes of reading had taken place in one night with the winning classes and their teachers receiving top prizes and awards.

Throughout Literacy Day, groups of students rotated to assigned classrooms or areas in the school for 20-minutes with a guest reader, all sharing a story and talking about the wonderful world of books.

"Thank you for joining us to share our love for reading," one student said.

Shown in the photos below are left to right: (1) Lieutenant Governor Brenda Murphy and her partner Linda Boyle preparing to read to a group of students at Hubbard Avenue Elementary School in Oromocto; (2) Principal Bev Loker-French speaking with students at the school assembly for Literacy Day.