Little ones love hearing a story, especially if read by an older friend they admire and look up to. Making a special connection over a book is a great moment. Ask any of the ninth- and 10th-graders from Westview Exceptional Children and Westside Academy who visited Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Gates Chili recently.
The older students sat in on classrooms led by Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES teachers Kate McElhaney and Maria Dembeyiotis. Each chose a series of picture books and shared their stories with the preschoolers and medically fragile students. As they read out loud, the high school students quickly gained confidence in their skills and easily held the attention of their new friends.
Westview teacher Kim Lobdell arranged the opportunity so that students from both programs would be able to take the memorable fieldtrip and read to the younger students.