Harrisville – Students at Majestic Elementary School have seen a lot of success with their reading skills thanks to the reading program that’s designed to help students who are not reading at the grade level they are supposed to be at be able to get to that that level by the end of the year. The program is for students in grades 4-6. Students are paired up with a tutor and meet with them twice a week for 30 minutes each time to work on their reading skills. With the tutor’s help, students learn how to improve their reading fluency and comprehension skills along with how to enjoy reading. The program was piloted by Read Today and sponsored by KLS 5 and is now run by AmeriCorps.
All of the tutors are volunteers from the community, including members of United Way, the Pleasant View South Stake, and other local businesses. North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor even stops by to volunteer his time to help students succeed in their reading. About the program, he said he really enjoys working with the students and watching them progress. “It’s very rewarding,” he said. “It’s an easy program to volunteer for and is a lot of fun as well.” Mayor Taylor has been volunteering since January.
Majestic Elementary Principal David Wallace is also a huge fan of the reading program. “It’s been very valuable helping kids who need more of a one-on-one approach,” he said. “It’s been a huge asset to the school.” Principal Wallace also mentioned how much he appreciates all the time the volunteers give to help each student succeed and says each and every one of them are fantastic. “It’s great to see the relationship they build with the students.”
Currently, there are 66 children in the program but more qualify for it. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough tutors to go around, which is why Chelley Hogge—who oversees the program at Majestic—is asking for more people to volunteer to become a tutor. Each tutor usually helps out one or two students. Chelley mentioned how the program is really easy for people to become tutors and how it doesn’t take a lot of time to do. “Tutors can come in Monday-Friday to help out the students,” she said. “It’s really easy to become a tutor and more importantly is very rewarding.” She said that everyone who’s become a tutor absolutely loves it and learns to love the students they help out. If you’re interest in becoming a tutor, contact Majestic Elementary School at 801-452-4260 and ask for Chelley Hogge. North Ogden and Lomond View Elementary Schools also use the same reading program, so you can become a tutor there as well.
Joseph Addison once said, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Being able to read is an invaluable skill that everyone needs in order to succeed in life. By helping the next generation learn not only how to read but also how to love reading, will impact their lives in more ways than one. Check out http://www.readgraduatesucceed.com/ for more information about the program and make sure to volunteer!!
