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Thursday,
October 25, 2001
Staff
Assembly starts reading program in elementary schools
By
Piper Huddleston
Staff Reporter
TCU students, faculty and staff can volunteer to read to students
at any of nine elementary Fort Worth Independent School District
participating in Reading Frogs, a Staff Assembly service program
designed to encourage Fort Worth ISD elementary students to
read, said Mary Lane, Staff Assembly community service committee
chairwoman.
Sign-up
sheets will be available at an informational meeting at noon
Friday in the library, Lane said.
“Volunteers
will have the opportunity to actually go out to the schools
and interact with students one on one”, she said.
Reading
Frogs is the first community service program established by
the assembly.
Lane
said the program was chosen because a survey conducted last
year indicated that staff wanted to volunteer in educational
areas.
A
part of an existing year-long program called Score a Goal
in the Classroom, Reading Frogs is designed to give elementary
students a head start on reading through mentoring and tutoring,
Lane said.
The
assembly is in the preliminary stages of composing a proposal
that would give staff members paid leave to do community service,
Lane said.
“We
are hoping that staff will enjoy and commit to community service
opportunities and want time off to become involved,”
she said.
Assembly
Chairman Bob Seal, also the university librarian, said his
goal for the Staff Assembly this year is to encourage, promote
and support community service by TCU staff. Seal said motivating
participation in Reading Frogs is one way involve staff members
in community service activities.
Corey
Steele, TCU relations coordinator, said it is important for
the elementary students to have someone read to them besides
their parents or teachers.
“Reading
is more enjoyable for students when they see someone else
excited about it,” Steele said.
Volunteers
who sign up Friday will be able to mentor as soon as Oct.
31 at Storybook Parade, an activity at Westcliff Elementary
School.
Piper
Huddleston
k.p.huddleston@student.tcu.edu
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