Volunteers from the Shepherdstown and Charles Town Rotary clubs read to all the children in the 1st grade classes at four Jefferson County elementary schools during the week of December 16.
The accompanying photo shows Tom Lewis, from the Shepherdstown club, with a class at North Jefferson Elementary School on the 16th. Members of that club also read to students at TA Lowery Elementary on the 17th.
Members of the Charles Town club read to students at Blue Ridge Elementary on the 16th and to children at Ranson Elementary on the 19th.
This in-school reading program was initiated by the two Rotary clubs in 2023. Members of the two clubs visit the abovementioned Jefferson County schools several times a year to read books to 1st grade classes and give every child in each class a copy of the book that was read. The children get to keep these books as their own and take them home with them. The books that are read and distributed are selected by teachers at the schools. The Rotary clubs pay for all the books.
The book that was read at the four schools this this time was a version of the classic “Gingerbread Man” story, by Janelle Cherrington.
