All week long, the excitement was palpable at Kalama Elementary School as, one by one, each classroom made their way to the building’s Second Floor hallway for a chance to participate in this year’s “Strive for Five” summer reading program, spearheaded by Kalama School Board member Stephanie Harbell and the Kalama PTO.
Originally introduced by former principal Kala Lougheed (Wofford), who continues to impact the program as a volunteer, Strive for Five gifts every Kalama Elementary student with five new or gently-used books as a way to keep students engaged and learning over the summer. Additional prizes are up for grabs in the fall, when students turn in their completed summer reading log at the start of the next school year. Last year's rewards included gift cards for local activities like bowling and mini-golf.
“Research shows that reading just five books over the summer can help to prevent the loss of academic skills gained during the school year,” explained Harbell. “This program keeps kids on track with their learning while having a little fun. Seeing their excitement about books is incredibly rewarding.”
The effort to supply all elementary students with new books at no cost is headed by the Kalama PTO and supported by generous donations from local businesses like RSG, Kalama Export, and McMenamins.
“The PTO went above and beyond for our students, many of whom went home with brand new books,” said Kalama Elementary Principal Billina Dolezal. “The excitement on their faces and the strong grip they hold on their Strive for Five books shows us that this event is very meaningful to them!”
This year’s popular book titles include "Wings of Fire," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," and "Dogman." In fact, those titles are so popular that organizers plan to stock up on more of them next year.
“Every student seems to enjoy this program,” said Harbell. “Even if parents are the ones reading to the students, there’s still something gained. It’s just a really positive thing.”
A pair of book exchanges will take place during the summer. For more information on the exchanges and the Strive for Five program, visit the Kalama Elementary PTO page on Facebook.