“This is the Greatest Night of My Life!” - Grade 2 student

IST librarian, Kirk Leichner, has made a huge impact on IST’s community in just his first year of teaching.

“The Pajama Parties are all about people coming together to share a love of reading,” Leichner said. “I wanted to create an exciting experience for our students where they could be at school at a strange time, in their pajamas, having snacks and reading with the people that they love most - their friends and their families.”

How the Pajama Party works

On select Friday nights, students, volunteer parents and faculty come together for an evening of storytelling, snacks and an irreplaceable experience.

“An event like the Pajama Party helps strengthen our community by bringing families together who may not normally be together,” Lechner said. “With a shared love for our students and for sharing stories, everyone comes a bit closer and leaves the evening with a sense of togetherness.”

The Pajama Party Read-Ins bring together two different grades at a time - 2 and 3; 1 and 4. Students gather in the multi-purpose hall on a Friday night and once 7 pm rolls around, they make their way to the snack area, picking up hot chocolate and food.

After their tummies are stuffed, and with a warm drink in hand, students make their way to the classrooms to snuggle up with blankets, pillows and stuffed toys. Volunteer parent readers then take turns reading to them.

Students are free to move from room to room, each room housing a new parent with a new and exciting story to tell.

“It's a magical night for the kids,” Leichner said.

After an hour of stories, everyone makes their way home, but the experience is one that students remember for a lifetime.

“We desire to foster a joy in books, a joy in sharing and curiosity that allows our students to inquire into what they are passionate about,” Leichner said. “Nights like this are a win-win situation as our students get to spend time with their friends and parents, surrounded by fun books and great readers. In a city like Dar es Salaam, the school community is vitally important.”

And IST’s community is one that provides every initiative and opportunity possible for their students to succeed.

Did your child have an exceptional time at a Pajama Party Read-In? Tell us about it in the comments below!

With initiatives, such as Pajama Party Read-Ins, focusing on inspiring a love of reading in their students, IST is accomplishing that goal.

“Our goal [with this initiative] is to create a society of readers who view themselves as such,” Leichner said. “Any activity or event that gets kids excited about reading, about sharing books, and about being readers is something we get excited about.”

When asked about any moments that stuck out to him, Leichner responded with ease, recapping the story in detail.

“The moment that stands out to me the most would be that 2nd Grader who ran up to me, excited like it was Christmas morning, or like she just finished eating every piece of Halloween candy at the same time, grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye, face beaming, and said, ‘This is the greatest night of my life!’”

According to Leichner, the great thing about being the Librarian is that he gets to teach every student who comes to school. He gets to share his love of reading through fun initiatives, which inherently inspire those around him to grow that same love.

“The fact that I get to share my love of reading and learning, and that I get to be a part of so many exciting moments every day has been a blast. Putting a book into a student's hands and having them shout out in happiness is something I never grow tired of,” Leichner said. “We are building a culture of readers and lifelong learners here, and I am excited to be a part of it.”