All Hands On Deck: American Reading Company Employees Volunteer in Camden and Learn a Thing or Two From Enthusiastic Young Readers
Random House donates 6,000 books for Reading Prize Rooms
Camden, N.J.—Shippers, packers, marketers, graphic designers, IT experts, accountants, operations workers, receptionists, product managers, internal account managers, publishing directors, authors, and vice presidents showed up yesterday at both Wiggins and Cramer College Preparatory Lab Schools to sit “elbow to elbow” with individual students, listening and observing as the students read for 30 minutes at their “just right” reading levels. These volunteers from American Reading Company traveled from their corporate headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, to support student reading achievement in Camden and came away having learned important lessons themselves.
The special event was organized by Principals Lana Murray (Wiggins) and Andrea Surratt (Cramer) to proactively ensure extra in-school reading practice for students during a week when schools would be closed for three days. “We didn’t want to lose any momentum in meeting reading goals just because school would be closed,” explained Ms. Surratt. “We asked our partner, American Reading Company, if they could send some extra coaches to work with students who are behind,” said Ms. Murray. “We didn’t know that practically their entire company would show up to volunteer!” The students were also overjoyed by the generous donation of 6,000 books from Random House which will be used in Reading Prize Rooms so that students who reach reading targets can earn books for their home libraries.
The day was full of fun and learning for everyone. First-grader Minerva informed Quality Quinn, EVP of Marketing at American Reading Company, “Did you know that hippopotamuses (‘is it ok to call them hippos?’ she inquired as an aside) can get sunburned? And that they ‘excrete’ a red substance to help them heal?” American Reading Company employees were reminded firsthand that the work they do “at the office” has tremendous implication for children in two of America’s most challenged schools. “We must keep our expectations high for these children because they see themselves as readers and learners,” commented Cedric McLaurin, Manager of Third Party Fulfillment. “We can never underestimate their potential.” According to author Trace Taylor, “Volunteering in schools keeps me thinking about how we can continuously improve our materials. We need to keep things fun and fresh for these children who are advancing with an insatiable appetite for great new books.”
After four hours of the echoing, sweet hum of children reading with the “two-inch voice” to adults—and in some cases reading with older children with whom they shared a primary language—the well- orchestrated pandemonium underscored the validity to the ACTION 100 Response to Intervention (RtI) model. Now in Year Two of a partnership between Camden City Public Schools and American Reading Company, the Wiggins and Cramer elementary schools, also recipients of the highly coveted School Improvement Grant, are taking the culture of continuous learning to a new level. Yesterday, everyone was a learner.
About American Reading Company
American Reading Company transforms school cultures to create sustainable academic achievement through training, management, and monitoring. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in King of Prussia, PA. Today, more than a million students in 2,100 schools across 420 districts in 41 states participate in the company’s programs, which include ACTION 100, 100 BOOK CHALLENGE and RESEARCH LABS.