Reading Makes Your Brain Big and Strong - November 11, 2009
When Jeneca Jones became editor of West Lane News in 2003, prior to her current job at CAWOOD, she also assumed the previous editor’s role as a SMART reader. Jeneca has since been a consistent part of several SMART students’ lives: a girl who had trouble focusing, a boy timid about reading but who liked the stories, a girl who often chose the same book over and over again. Read the full story.
The SMART Twins of Medford - March 13, 2009
A Kid Named Dakota - June 24, 2008
A SMART Mom Tells All
SMART had just started at my son Alan’s school when he started participating. As a second grader when he started SMART, he scored in the bottom 10 percent for reading ability. He disliked school in those early years because he was struggling with reading. It just didn't come easily to him. Today, Alan is a semi-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship. Read the full story .
The Lasagna Specialists
In the 2007-08 school year I had the privilege of reading with a very bright and clever second grade girl named Sidney. She read with such enthusiasm and inflection, and always with a bright smile on her face, except when she came across a dreaded, unknown word like "lasagna", or "specialists". Read the full story .
Reading: Like Sticking Your Hand in a Pot of Glue
When SMART volunteer reader Erica Harris first met Matt at Crooked River Elementary in Prineville, he was quick to tell her, “I don’t like reading.” Erica, who will be starting her third year reading with SMART this October, remembers, “Matt spent our first few reading sessions wiggling or laying his head on the table as I read to him.” Read the full story .
SMART Year Round for Roseburg Kids
Veteran SMART coordinator Gina Grote handles the year-round SMART program at Central Douglas Family YMCA in Roseburg. Her roster includes 23 pre-kindergartners and 16 dedicated volunteer readers. With a toothless smile, a participating pre-kindergartner named Nadia said, "I feel so happy at SMART. I like to read to two people. That way if I don't know a word I can ask." Read the full story .