-by David Schleck
It’s a warm summer morning and preschoolers at Colony Mobile Home Park are climbing into the Reading Bus parked in their neighborhood.
Each is greeted with a “hi!” or an “hola!” from Virginia Beach City Public Schools staff.
Parents pop their heads into the bus to thank the teachers for sharing their love of reading with children.
After a little song a dance, teacher Marlene Patterson starts reading a book about a freshly hatched bird trying to find its mother. Patterson reads each page in English, and another staff member reads the same page in Spanish.
The children’s eyes light up as the baby bird’s adventure ends with its mother returning to the nest.
Bus driver Donna Chugg is so happy to be visiting schools and neighborhoods again. The bus was parked during the worst of the pandemic, but in the past year has visited more than 100 pre-kindergarten classes, Head Start programs, and the Atlantis and Colony communities.
“I was so glad to be back with my kids,” said Chugg, who has driven the Reading Bus and yellow bus for decades. “I hope our visits are exciting for them, especially when they first see the bus driving down the road.”
Virginia Beach Police drove through the Colony neighborhood while family outreach representative Rachel Thompson announced the reading program in English and Spanish through the vehicle’s loudspeaker. After reading the book, it was time for a craft.
“Who would like to make a little bird?” Patterson asked, and the children’s hands shot up. They glued the pieces of the paper birds on top of plastic trays and practiced saying colors in two languages.
“I hear some very good English this morning!” Thompson said.
With birds in hand, the students lined up to exit the bus. Chugg made sure each of them had a bag of treats and a book or two to bring home, of course. They hopped off the bus and scurried toward their mothers, ready to tell stories of their adventures aboard the Reading Bus.
The Reading Bus recently visited Colony Mobile Home Park, where Virginia Beach City Public Schools staff brought books alive for young residents. Children read a story and participated in a fun craft before leaving with a book of their own to bring home. Members from the Virginia Beach Police Department were also there to greet young readers. For more information, visit the VBCPS website.