Clay Aiken reads, sings to Pa. kids
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Clay Aiken reads, sings to Pa. kids
Two girls fell out of their front row seats when "American Idol" runner-up
Clay Aiken strode on stage at the school assembly.
Lower Nazareth Elementary School students gathered Monday at the district
high school's auditorium to celebrate 19 classmates who wrote, "Our Friend
Mikayla," published earlier this year by the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which
works on behalf of children with special needs.
Mikayla Resh, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, was the subject
of the biography, written and illustrated by her third-grade classmates two
years ago. Her mother, Kimberly Resh, arranged the all-school assembly to
thank them. The students were wide-eyed when Aiken, co-founder of the
foundation, appeared.
Aiken, who was appearing Monday night at the State Theatre in Easton, read
to the student body of more than 680 from the book, talked with the 19
authors, and posed for many photographs. To Mikayla, he sang a few lines
from "When I See You Smile." Then he announced a final treat: limousines to
take the students back to Lower Nazareth Elementary.
In the cars, boys popped open cans of soda and girls giggled. "Is this a
dream?" said one boy, Michael Allen. "It is like the first time I'll be in a
limo. It is so awesome!"