LEEDS – Wearing a coat and tie instead of his blue uniform, Maine State Police Trooper Elgin Physic read “The Sea Chest” to students at the Leeds Central School gym Monday.

Nearby, a state legislator, a veterinarian, a dentist and hockey players also read to students.

The special guests were part of a celebration of students who participated the ReadToME Challenge issued by Gov. Paul LePage and his wife during February. Of the school’s 195 students, 107 are participating in the challenge, Principal Danielly Harris said.

As part of the monthlong challenge, “we had to read 15 minutes each night. We had to read to someone, or have someone read to us,” said fifth-grader Emma Caouette, 11.

Caouette read “Wonder” aloud to her mother.

“It’s about a boy who has facial deformities,” she said. “He’s in the fifth grade. We’re in the fifth grade. It’s a really good book.”

The book prompted her to reflect about not judging people by how they look but who they are “on the inside,” she said. Reading aloud helped her build skills, she said.

“I usually read to myself,” Caouette said. By reading to her mother, her mother coached her on pronunciation. She plans to read to her mother more often.

Speaking to the students assembled in the gym, adults talked about how reading is important in their everyday lives.

“Reading helps me to treat my sick animals,” veterinarian Dr. Larry Buggia said. Sometimes he treats animals he usually doesn’t see, like the time he had to care for a camel.

“I’ve never treated a camel before. How would I know how to treat one?” he asked. “I read about it from a veterinarian who treated camels.” Reading helps him learn about new ideas for treating animal diseases. “It’s important that I read every single day,” Buggia said.

Trooper Physic, who patrols Androscoggin County, said he’s curious, and reading gives him insight about things that interest him, like basketball.

On the job, good reading and writing skills are critical, he said.

“When I arrest somebody and the case goes to court, I sound professional” with a well-written report. If he used incorrect grammar, he would not sound professional in front of a judge.

“Good reading skills makes you more intellectual, smarter. It helps you represent yourself in a good way,” Physic said.

L/A Fighting Spirit hockey player Thomas Kuntz, 19, said when he was little his parents read to him every night. One of his favorite books was “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

Being read to helped him relax, he said. As an adult, reading still helps him relax and sleep better. That helps makes him a better hockey player.

Soon he’ll be going to college. Good reading skills will be essential as a college student, he told students.

Fifth-grader Jarrett Albert, 10, said he read “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” It’s a series about Greek gods, mortals and mythology, he said. “It’s a different book. It’s a fun book.”

First-grader Ryder Sawyer-Brown, 6, read a book about a dog who goes into mud and gets cleaned up.

Kindergarten student Elizabeth Kowalski, 5, read “Silver Pony Ranch.” She said she likes reading. “You can learn new things.”

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