Kennedy Junior High Wins Literacy Grants

Lisle junior high wins literacy grants.(News)
Article from:Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Article date:September 17, 2005Author:Jenco, Melissa More results for:jeanine nicarico Literacy

Byline: Melissa Jenco Daily Herald Staff Writer

Kennedy Junior High in Lisle snagged several grants to support two new reading and writing programs.

The Naperville Unit District 203 school was awarded $1,000 from the Illinois Reading Council for its dairy-themed program, Got Books? Reading is Udderly Awesome.

Kennedy is partnering with Oberweis Dairy for the program, which encourages children to become lifelong readers.

"The purpose of Reading is Udderly Awesome is really to engage and encourage young readers to continue reading at a time when their activities are basically relegating reading to a nerd level," said Paulette Goodman, director of the library resource center at Kennedy.

Throughout October, faculty and staff will be on the lookout for children who are reading when they're not required to. Oberweis will provide free ice cream for students who are caught reading as well as milk and cookies during Teen Read Week, which begins Oct. 16.

There also will be book talks, contests and chances to win free books. Student readers will make commercials for Kennedy's radio station encouraging their peers to read.

Representatives from Oberweis were at the school Friday taking pictures of children reading books. The pictures will be made into posters and displayed throughout the school and local Oberweis stores.

"We just felt what a great thing to get behind and be supportive of the community in any way we could," said Mark Vance, vice president of marketing.

The school also received a grant from the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Literacy Fund last spring for the program.

The Association of Illinois Middle-Level Schools recently awarded Kennedy a $300 grant for its new writing program, Screaming Pens: Teen Writers Group.

Screaming Pens is a yearlong program Goodman organized to encourage young writers to continue their craft.

"I'm trying to use everything possible to encourage these children to zero in on their own writing," Goodman said.

The group will meet twice a month to discuss what members have written, share their ideas and enter contests. Students also will have the chance to meet visiting authors each month starting Sept. 22.

Goodman, along with teachers Ami Kulik and John Klein-Collins, will receive their award at the association's fall conference Sept. 29 at the Lisle Hyat