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Monday, October 11, 2010

Brentwood Makes Reading FUNdamental

This past summer, SNAP put the “Fun” in reading is fundamental!
Through a unique collabora-tion with the Brentwood Public Library, SNAP was able to offer a summer reading program for young-sters in the Brentwood community. In an effort to promote early literacy skills and peer mentoring, sev-eral SNAP students served as “Book Buddies” for elementary-school aged children. Each Monday during July and August, students assembled to read, learn, and grow from one another. High school students who had been active in SNAP’s programs at the Freshman Center and the High School were invited to donate some of their time to working with younger students, helping them with their reading skills. It was a wonderful opportunity for younger students to learn from their older peers while simultaneously strengthening their reading capabilities. Books of all sorts were explored, from fiction to non-fiction and everything in between. 2010 marked the fourth straight summer that SNAP provided such a program and the momentum has helped the program to market itself! Several students were inquiring about Book Buddies even before the summer began, which speaks volumes about their dedication and commit-ment to serving as youth leaders, mentors, and the foundation of their community. It takes a very spe-cial kind of person to positively influence a young and impressionable mind and SNAP students have displayed time and time again, that they possess that special personality trait. Said Brentwood High School SNAP student Dorian Drummond: “I enjoy working with the kids be-cause it makes me feel great inside to know that I’m affecting the younger generation in a positive way, it’s invaluable.” It was truly an honor for Mr. Fox, Mr. Grotell, and Mr. Weinstein to work with these young people and we look forward to continuing quality programming throughout the 2010-2011 school year.