Students read in the Lake Placid Middle/High School. (Provided photo0

Youngsters become readers of books in assorted ways and at different rates, and a major goal of the Educational Opportunity Fund has been to foster stronger connections with written words through a variety of partnerships. Books are a worthy alternative to the ever-present “screens” that pervade our children’s lives.

In its early days, the beginning step for the newly formed Ed Op Fund was to help promote information about the Imagination Library, a nationwide project initiated and supported by Dolly Parton. Working from the well-established fact that preschoolers who are read to consistently are more successful in school, the Ed Op Fund helped local agencies spread the word about this opportunity for children from birth until they begin school to receive books in their homes.

Since then, the Ed Op Fund has continued to provide financial help for this all important life skill by supporting efforts of the Lake Placid Central School District.

Their Summer Reading Initiative is the umbrella program for elementary through high school students. It has been designed and refined by Laura Coffin, Laurel Riehs, Rhiannon Adsit and Kaitlin Patenaude. Recently, these four educators shared a passionate and innovative presentation with the Ed Op Board. They explained how they have been promoting reading at every grade level for the 10 weeks of summer break, a time when the reading skills of many of our district’s students decline. Board member Simon Shergold described their presentation as an “inspirational reminder of the crucial work” the Ed Op Fund supports.

Coffin is the reading specialist for the elementary school. Since 2016, Ed Op has been helping to fund her efforts. In both Lake Placid and Wilmington, she has established “Little Reading Libraries” where students are free to take books which appeal to them. This project has grown into support for home libraries. With the help of The Bookstore Plus, students can choose between seven to 14 new and almost new books for their personal use. It is an exciting day at the Lake Placid Elementary School when the youngsters enter the gymnasium and are greeted by an abundance of books, all waiting for them. They place carefully selected ones into their recently made canvas bags before departing for summer recess.

Students read in the Lake Placid Middle/High School. (Provided photo0

A graduate of LPCSD and now the middle/high school reading specialist, Riehs is fully committed to helping students become better readers. Teaming with her are Kaitlin Patenaude, the middle/high school library media specialist, and Adsit, an English teacher at the high school.

To further emphasize the importance of their mission, a half day at the beginning of this school year was dedicated to reading. One goal of the team was to create school communities around readers and consequently teachers of other disciplines joined students in small group settings on Reading Day for discussions centered on their chosen books.

As with the earlier grades, the Ed Op Fund also helps provide every middle and high school student with a selection of books for summer reading, books which become their personal copies to share or to keep. Recognizing the different needs and preferences of high school students, the team partners with The Bookstore Plus. Students visit the local bookstore to shop for their own books, and this is made possible by the Ed Op Fund. Coffin, Riehs, Patenaude and Adsit expressed their thanks to the Ed Op Fund board for their “very generous and much appreciated donations and for believing in the power of reading.”

For more information about Ed Op activities, visit edopfund.org.

(Sandra Danussi is a board member for the Educational Opportunity Fund for the Lake Placid Central School District and a former English teacher, and Sibyl Quayle is the vice president of the Ed Op Fund board and a former early childhood educator.)