This year, Runnymede’s prep school celebrated World Book Day once again with some of the best costumes we’ve seen yet; from elaborated outfits to accompanying animals, we continue to see the importance and power of literature at school year after year.
Why do we celebrate World Book Day? This celebration is like a love letter towards literature. By taking a day a year to appreciate writing, we ensure that stories, knowledge, and creativity continue to thrive. Literature preserves and honours culture; it brings together communities and promotes diversity by sharing and valuing perspectives. World Book Day promotes education and knowledge: literature can teach history, science, philosophy and human experiences - making us more informed and empathetic people. When we encourage children to dress up as their favourite characters, we encourage creativity and expression while also reminding ourselves how lucky we are to have access to books and education. Moreover, especially as humanities subjects become less and less popular amongst children, it is crucial to remember why subjects such as literature, history, philosophy and art are so important, and why we mustn’t let these studies fade away.
World Book Day has become a tradition at Runnymede, students anticipate the day they can live in their fairytales and adventures, and look forward to embodying characters they admire. Every year, we are more and more excited to see the innovative and creative costumes students have to offer. On March 7th, however, innovation was taken to the next level. As students walked up the school ramp, a rally of people gathered around to see a sight we had yet to see at Runnymede. A young boy in shining armour mounted on a pony, and alongside him a girl holding a chicken and two baby goats. Whispers quickly spread around the school that morning and suddenly half the student body was gathered around them, eager to pet the animals and find out more. Teachers joined everyone in front of the prep school too, impressed at the students’ determination to make their costumes as accurate as possible but also slightly confused at how these students managed to get a pony, a chicken and two baby goats in the school premises. Although it caught most of us off guard, we can safely say students at Runnymede love an opportunity to dress up and show their love for literature. From the Little Red Riding Hood to Peter Pan and the Wicked Witch of the West, we saw countless characters come to life through the students’ effort and determination, and we are reminded why we value literature at school.
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