‘Some pig’ helps students set world record Sixth-graders participate in record-setting reading of “Charlotte’s Web” BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE — As Mayor John E. McCormac finished reading the lines of the “salutation” passage from E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” last week, the sixth-graders from the Avenel Middle School broke the Guinness World Reading Record. The students let out a loud cheer of happiness and relief. “About 500 students participated in the Break a World Reading Record with ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ ” said LaDawna Harrington, who along with Sue West organized the event for the students. The 500 sixth-graders were part of 547,826 readers in 2,451 locations among 50 states and 28 countries that gathered together with Walden Media, Paramount Pictures, HarperCollins, educators and librarians to break the Guinness World Record of the most people reading aloud simultaneously in multiple locations with E.B. White’s classic tale of friendship, kindness, selfless giving and miracles at noon on Dec. 13. The previous record was 155,528, set by students in the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth’s “Daffodils” in March 2004. Representatives from Washington Mutual Bank did the honor of making sure the students kept up on their reading. The township library Director John Hurley and Assistant Superintendent Lois Rotella joined McCormac to witness history in the making. “Research shows the highest-achieving students attend schools with good library media centers,” said Harrington, who is the recent past president of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians and works in the Avenel Middle School’s library media center. “Students make 1.5 billion visits to school library media centers during the school year — 100 times as many visits to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.” Eleven-year-old Ashish Erasani said it was exciting to win a world record. “I never won a world record before,” he said. “I will definitely continue reading because I read a lot. My favorite book that I have read is ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.’ ” Breaking the world record makes 12-year-old Aliyah Robinson feel good. “This has helped me want to read more,” she said. “My favorite book is ‘Double Fudge’ by Judy Blume.” The contest is in anticipation of the 2006 movie “Charlotte’s Web,” which will be in movie theaters on Dec. 25.