43
Kids learn lesson for summer
By Elise Franco
Austintown
School officials hope elementary students will keep reading even after the final dismissal bell rings for the year.
Judy Sluss of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County stopped by Lloyd Elementary on Norquest Boulevard on Thursday to help students get excited about summer reading.
Sluss said the library’s summer reading program, “Making a Splash at Your Library,” runs from June 1 to Aug. 30 at all the Mahoning County branches. It is meant to keep children reading even while they’re not in school.
“We’re really just promoting literacy, and we work in conjunction with the schools,” she said. “A lot of the students do come in during the summer.”
Sluss said each child who participates will receive a book log where they’ll track what they’re reading and for how long. She said the libraries will have water- related programs, crafts and games for the kids.
Principal Tom Lenton said in 2009 that the Lloyd students who participated in the more than 20-year-old program read 321 total hours.
“A program like this engages the kids,” he said. “It’s a fun way to use and develop and maintain those skills they learned throughout the school year.”
Lenton said these reading programs are crucial to young students’ development because in summer months, they tend to lose some of the skills learned in class.
“We’ve found that over a period of time, students start to lose some of the skills they’ve built up,” he said. “So, we especially use it with students who might have trouble academically to get them more involved.”
Sluss did her part to engage the students during her presentation Thursday.
Using a British accent, she read a poem called “Fancy Dive” by Shel Silverstein.
The poem, about a girl named Melissa who takes a fancy dive into an empty swimming pool, garnered laughs from the kids.
“Now you know this summer when you go swimming, you’ll have a really good book to read,” Sluss said. “You won’t even bother with that swimming stuff.”