May 12, 2023
ROTARY READINGS TO 1ST GRADERS CONTINUE
The Shepherdstown Rotary Club held the second session of its new in-school reading program today (May 12), with Club member Cara Keys reading a book called "Our Earth" to a 1st grade class at North Jefferson Elementary School.
The new reading program has been developed jointly by the Shepherdstown and Charles Town Rotary clubs. The program will be focused on the County's four Title 1 elementary schools (schools that include a large number of children receiving free and reduced-price lunches).
Rotarians from the two clubs will visit these schools several times a year to read a book to 1st grade classes and then give each child in each class a copy of the book that was read. The children will be able to keep these books as their own and take them home with them.
The Shepherdstown Club will read to the two Title 1 schools in the north part of the county (North Jefferson and TA Lowrey) and the Charles Town Club will read to the two in the southern part of the county (Ranson and Blue Ridge).
The Charles Town Club finished all of its first sessions of readings at its two schools this week. The Shepherdstown Club will read to 1st Graders at TA Lowrey next week.
The program was developed in consultation with the principals and 1st grade teachers at these schools. The books being read and distributed at the schools are being selected by the teachers. The two Rotary clubs are paying for the books.
Because this school year is about to end, these first readings going on now will be the only ones for this school year. Next fall, the two Rotary clubs plan to resume the reading program in earnest and conduct four readings during that school year and in succeeding years.