WEDNESDAY, September 26, 2018
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A GIFT OF TIME 20 years of ONE TO ONE in SD 73
f you could have one superpower, what would it be?” That was the question posed to Bill and Melinda Gates by a group of Kentucky high school students. Their answer was a little surprising because it was not the ability to fly or become invisible, but rather to have the ability to create more time. As superpowers go, that doesn’t seem nearly as exciting as defying gravity, but it gets to the heart of what One to One volunteer tutors do. “Every day in our school district, we are inspired by volunteers who support schools and students in need of time. Volunteers tap into a different kind of superpower the power to make a difference in the lives of others,” says Assistant Superintendent Rob Schoen. Schoen, attending the 20-year celebration of the One to One Children’s Literacy program in School District 73, thanked the many volunteers who share their super power of creating time, and giving of themselves, to support literacy in schools and help children become better readers. Fiona Clare, Literacy Outreach Co-ordinator for Literacy in Kamloops, was recognized by the provincial One to One Literacy Society for 20 years of outstanding leadership and devotion.
Cami Klohn (right), District Coordinator, presents plaque to Fiona Clare One to One has grown a lot in SD73 since its humble beginnings back in 1998. At that time the program ran in just seven schools, but today can be found in 22 of 33 of the schools in the district. Last year 240 tutors read with 450 students, totalling a staggering 11,000 volunteer hours! The program involves patient and attentive volunteers tutoring students who need a reading skills boost. Each tutor reads, during school hours, with three students for 30
minutes each, once per week for 12 weeks. “Today I will fly,” says Grade 3 Dallas elementary student Jacob Baur as he moves his finger line by line across one of his favourite books. “Perfect,” says his reading buddy Edna Park, a retired government worker who has volunteered for One to One for the past five years. The goal is to get kids excited about reading by building their confidence. “I do, I really do like reading
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Grade 3 student Jacob Baur (left) and One to One volunteer Edna Park. now,” said Baur. “It really helped me focus. It really did.” Volunteers must first attend a three-hour training session where they learn a variety of reading strategies to use to get students comfortable with reading, such as unison reading or echo reading. They are then matched with a school. Park described the experience of being a volunteer as a rewarding one. “It’s fun for us to watch the youngsters go from really hesitant - because when they first meet
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you they’re a little shy - and then within a matter of a few short weeks they light up,” Park said. “It’s more than just reading, it’s mentoring and building relationships,” Clare said. “Our hope is that by helping children catch a love of reading, they will become lifelong readers.” The next session of One to One is slated for October. To volunteer contact Cami at one2one.kamloops@gmail.com or 250.573.1785
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