By Cindy Focke
Great Neck Middle School was filled with happy campers March 12.
More than 100 students and their families returned to school for a camping-themed evening of learning fun during AVID Literacy Night.
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is an elective course, however the program’s strategies to improve organizational, goal setting and reading and writing skills are incorporated throughout the entire school.
Parents had the chance to see what it was all about.
Approximately 20 interactive activities were spread throughout the hallways and several classrooms, while the school’s annual book fair took place in the library.
Sixth grader Mila Williams’ mother, Shelley Schudel, was glad she attended.
“This is great for me to learn the different steps to things such as writing essays and being organized,” she said.
Mila tried out a unique machine on display at the creative writing club’s “campsite.”
“This is a typewriter,” explained Avery Miller. “A lot of people have never seen one in person before.”
The eighth grader and fellow club members created an interactive display featuring a camp stove with baked beans and a game to match quotes with popular books, such as “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” by Dr. Suess.
They also promoted their school’s blog, the “Tide.”
Mila’s prize: candy and a stamp on her AVID Literacy Night passport.
Nearby, students spun a wheel to answer a math question. Olive Thompson, center director of Mathnasium on North Great Neck Road, said reading impacts math and other subjects.
“It helps you read a problem and think logically in the world.”
Nearby students created kindness rocks, wrote thank you cards, practiced writing their names in cursive, completed Mad Libs word games and more.
AVID student Leari Johnson and classmates gathered around a pretend fire to explain the importance of notetaking.
“Taking good notes affects our ability to read and comprehend in general,” the eighth grader said.
Avery Hathaway greeted visitors and said her name in Spanish. “Hola! Me llamo Avery,” exclaimed the eighth grader. She and Claire Chamberlin guided students as they read sentences in Spanish.
Eighth graders Ava McHugh and Ryan Howard asked Zayden Locke to touch some Oobleck and guess if it was a solid or a liquid.
He wasn’t sure. They explained that the gooey mixture of cornstarch and water was an example of a non-Newtonian fluid, such as ketchup, toothpaste and quicksand.
Zayden’s mother, Teri Wales, said she was glad her son wanted to attend the literacy night. “It’s fun to expose them to science and interesting ways to look at things.”
Event organizer Suzanne Bruehl is the Great Neck Middle literacy coach. Her role is to support teachers in embedding literacy into their lessons.
Literacy night highlighted strategies to show parents how their students are being prepared to be future-ready for college, the military or employment, she said.
“Many sixth graders get to see what is being done in eighth grade and hopefully make the connection that reading and writing and communicating is a lifelong skill.”
