VIPS coordinator Tina Macy with Westfield State freshman Francois Xavier of Quebec, one of 27 ROAR volunteers from the WSU Hockey Team. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Retired librarian Estelle Streeter read to fourth graders at Paper Mill. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) coordinated close to sixty volunteers to go into each of Westfield’s public elementary schools to read and contribute a book to the school libraries on Thursday for the Reach Out And Read program (ROAR). The books were purchased by a generous grant provided by Shurtleff Childrens Services.
The fall session of ROAR was targeted for all third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms and the books were mostly of a historical fiction genre.
Volunteers included city officials, community members, VIPS volunteers, school administrators and members of the Westfield State University hockey team.
Mayor Brian P. Sullivan read “Funny Bones : Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras” to Christy Roselli’s third grade class at Munger Hill. Drew Renfro, Sen. Don Humason’s chief of
Mayor Brian P. Sullivan reads to third-graders at Munger Hill for ROAR on Thursday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
staff, read “Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton,” to Natalya Kofman’s fourth grade class in Highland Elementary. Former librarian Estelle Streeter read “Sail Away” poems by Langston Hughes” to Danielle Scherban’s fourth grade class at Paper Mill.
Drew Renfro, Sen. Don Humason’s chief of staff, read the story of a slave poet at Highland Elementary. (Photo by Amy Porter)
This was the first time new Munger Hill principal Salvatore Friere experienced the ROAR program in the school. He said a similar program was run in Holyoke when he worked there.
“To showcase the importance of reading to kids from people in their professional lives is more impactful than just trying to convince them that reading is important,” Friere said.
ROAR is one of the few opportunities the schools
WSU hockey player and business major Jackson Leef, a senior from Indiana, read Langston Hughes poetry to fourth graders at Highland. (Photo by Amy Porter)
have to invite the greater community in its elementary schools to act as role models promoting the value of reading as well as the importance of school, according to VIPS coordinator Tina Macy.
“This session of ROAR is fully staffed by volunteers but we will be looking for additional volunteers for our spring session on
Munger Hill third grade teacher Christy Roselli listens with students. (Photo by Amy Porter)
March 30, 2017,” Macy said.
The VIPS program was established in 1993 to serve the students and staff of Westfield Public Schools with volunteers and programs utilizing volunteers.
