‘Spongebob’ Rosane’s Challenge
Met by Enthusiastic Readers

Brookfield Elementary School Principal Bob Rosane challenged his students to spend two weeks, from March 28-April 11, reading books, magazines, newspapers, anything and everything they could get their hands on.

Since the building was still surrounded by snow, the staff and students decided to escape to a warm and sunny place through reading. The students selected "Soak Up a Good Book" as their theme, and transformed the school hallway into an undersea scene, complete with pink jellyfish floating above their heads to document their reading time.  

This year, the K-6 students read a total of 54,605 minutes, exceeding Rosane’s goal of 40,000 minutes. After dining on sea-themed lunch, the students assembled to watch Rosane transform into "Spongebob Squarepants." With the help of Aquaman, (Peter Flaherty) and a friendly mermaid, (Christine Gilbert), Rosane was soaked through, using a garden hose and two pails of water. After everyone enjoyed a friendly sprinkling from Aquaman’s garden hose, the students and staff reconvened in the cafeteria to enjoy "sunken treasure sundaes."

In addition to agreeing to dress as SpongeBob this year, Rosane and his partner, Jolinda LaCLair, donated a penny for every minute the students read and presented the school with a giant check in the amount of $546. The staff decided to use that money to purchase a just-right book for every student to keep as a reminder of this year’s challenge, since it was the last one they would share with Rosane as the BES Principal. He has accepted a position as superintendent of the Franklin Central Supervisory Union.

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