DOZENS OF BELMONT STUDENTS, STAFF AND faculty volunteered on April 6 with the 13th annual Family Literacy Day, an event that provides the unique opportunity to partner with the local community for an afternoon to encourage reading and literacy. Aimed at children from pre-K through grade six and their families, Family Literacy Day is held at nearby Rose Park and is designed to celebrate the joys of reading with a free afternoon of interactive story times, crafts, games and refreshments. The primary focus of the event is Reading Circles, hosted by various campus groups such as the foreign language majors, fraternities and sororities, the Black Student Association and the Student Athlete Council. In addition, throughout the afternoon, there are drawings for
a variety of door prizes, as well as balloons, face-painting and more. In 2010, Belmont began partnering with Metro Nashville Public Schools to sponsor a poetry contest in conjunction with Family Literacy Day. First- through fourth-grade students are invited to submit original poems based on the current year’s theme, which was “Favorite Animal” for 2013. Five finalists were then selected by members of Belmont’s English Club and were given the opportunity to work with area songwriters and Belmont songwriting majors to set their poems to music. The songs were recorded and placed online for the community to enjoy and vote for their favorite song. n
SPRING 2013
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