Schmitty the Weather Dog takes Johnston by storm

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“Studies show,” Elly Maguire said the other evening, “that when kids go on summer vacation, they actually lose some of what they learned over the school year.”

That’s why Maguire, a Rhode Island College graduate who once sailed her 36-foot sailboat from Newport to Bermuda and who is also a highly-acclaimed author, visited Johnston’s Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library last Thursday evening along with not one, but two national celebrities.

Maguire was joined by Musical Meteorologist Ron Trotta and a four-pound Yorkshire terrier named Schmitty the Weather Dog to promote literacy and summer reading to kids and their families during a unique and fun-filled Rhode Island Library Tour.

For some sixty minutes, Trotta, Maguire, and Schmitty the Weather Dog put on an unusual educational experience that included music and a sing-a-long while parents with their children enjoying a summer evening of fun inside Johnston’s award-winning library.

“Team Schmitty the Weather Dog’s goal is to get kids excited about reading during the summer months,” Maguire said. “It’s also to combat summer learn loss, so they can go back to school energized and ready to continue learning. And, who better to do that than a really cute dog?”

Schmitty is much more than just a cuddly little dog. The famous dog has appeared on The Ellen Show as well as on stage in New York City’s Central Park with Oprah Winfrey. Her status also landed Schmitty the Weather Dog on the cover of Hamptons Pet Magazine.

More importantly, Team Schmitty the Weather Dog’s tour is part of the State of Rhode Island’s Office of Libraries Information and Services “Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program” which is a cooperative among libraries to motivate children to read for pleasure and help them maintain reading skills during the summer months.

Children like Alyssa Insana, 4, from Cranston who attends St. Rocco’s School in Johnston and Jack Martin Beckett, 8, from Lincoln, were among the many youngsters who were treated to a super show from Maguire and Trotta who held everyone’s attention through music and messages on Schmitty’s traveling television screen.

Schmitty the Weather Dog has been the official team for the National Science Teachers Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals and the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Trotta was formerly a weather producer for ABC World News and Good Morning America. Along with Author Elly, they have visited more than 200 elementary schools across the country with their STEM enrichment program, highlighted by Schmitty the Weather Dog Science Sing-A-Long Show that has earned rave reviews from students, school officials and parents alike.

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