Community rewards pupils for academics

Organizations offer pupils activities and reward them with supplies.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- North Side youngsters can head back to school with minds honed and arms full of supplies, thanks to a consortium of community-minded groups.
"One of the things we learned is that a lot of kids do not have school supplies ready when they start school," said Joyce Davidson, an event coordinator. "And some don't go to school because they don't have school supplies or the right clothing."
So several organizations joined together to create the first "Back-to-School Olympic Challenge" that will reward children for participating in academic activities.
The event for North Side children in kindergarten through eighth grade runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Heart Reach Ministries, 787 Wick Ave.
North Side children and pupils at the Martin Luther King and Harding elementary schools and Hayes Middle School are eligible. Parents are invited. Davidson said about 300 youngsters are expected.
Workshops
Sponsors are Know Your Neighbor Block Watch, Eagle Eye Block Watch, Harding Elementary School and Readiness Center, Youngstown State University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Heart Reach Ministries and the North Side Citizens Coalition.
"We wanted to give them supplies, but we also wanted them to earn the supplies," Davidson said.
For example, younger pupils might participate in workshops that require them to identify letters or colors, she explained. Older children will practice addition, multiplication tables and spelling.
"We want them to know we care about them," Davidson said. "We also want them to know they can apply their brain power. We want them to do all they can to be good students."
Outreach
All participating children will be given an age-appropriate pack of school supplies donated by various area businesses and organizations that show "the community is a concerned and caring community," Davidson said.
"We hope [the pupils] will take away that we are concerned about them, and going to school is important," she added.
Teen workshops for children in grades seven and eight will be led by Leon Stennis, coordinator of diversity initiatives at YSU, and Demetrius Ivory of WYTV News.
Among those leading games for younger children is the Rev. Carl Bauchpiess, director of Heart Reach Ministries.
Bus transportation is provided by Heart Reach Ministries for children with adult supervision. Pickup sites are at the Brier Hill community center, Harding Elementary School (Virginia Avenue), Martin Luther King Elementary School, the Rescue Mission, The Rayen School and Hayes Middle School.