{"id":11892,"date":"2024-02-16T15:39:49","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T20:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=11892"},"modified":"2024-02-16T15:39:49","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T20:39:49","slug":"salem-high-schools-passion-project-focuses-on-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/salem-high-schools-passion-project-focuses-on-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Salem High School\u2019s Passion Project focuses on literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
As part of Salem High School\u2019s \u201cPassion Project,\u201d senior English students planned, funded, built, stocked, and placed five free little libraries in the community. Their ocean-themed library is located near Club Brittany Pool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

-By Cindy Butler Focke<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
From left, Salem English teacher Sonya McGee, and seniors Steel McLeod and Jackson Chase secured the last of five free libraries as part of their English class \u201cPassion Project.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Virginia Beach has five more free little libraries thanks to Salem High School senior English students, including Steel McLeod.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m actually helping people,\u201d Steel said. \u201cHonestly, I feel like it\u2019s important to get the younger people to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

Planning, funding, building, installing and stocking the five free-standing little libraries were part of the school\u2019s senior English \u201cPassion Project\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n

The wooden structures were built at Salem High School and transported to Virginia Beach neighborhoods. Community members are welcome to take a book for free and encouraged to place books inside the libraries for others to read.<\/p>\n

Sonya McGee\u2019s students participated.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents learn to think outside themselves and find ways that they are passionate about to support and inform others,\u201d she said. In past years, students\u2019 service-learning activities included making toys for the SPCA, writing letters to service members, and participating in Clean the Bay Day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Students had a choice as part of their senior English class \u201cPassion Project\u201d focused on literacy. Some chose to read to students at Rosemont Forest Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This year\u2019s focus was literacy. Students could choose between the free little libraries\u2019 project and reading to Rosemont Forest Elementary School children. Some English as a Second Language(ESL) students felt more comfortable reading to a pet.<\/p>\n

Senior Des Bell read to Rosemont Forest second graders. She was amazed to see the excitement in their eyes as she turned the pages. \u201cAt first I didn\u2019t want to do it,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it ended up being one of the best things I\u2019ve done this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students from five classes \u2013 about 125 \u2013 chose to work on the free libraries\u2019 team.<\/p>\n

Approximately $300 was raised through the online fundraising platform GoFundMe.<\/p>\n

The Home Depot provided discounts on supplies, including paint and wood. English teacher Lauren Wallace\u2019s husband and father-in-law cut most of the wood and delivered it to the school.<\/p>\n

Students gathered in groups to brainstorm different themes and designs for each library, based on locations secured after McGee and English teacher Lacy Krell reached out to the community on social media.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A story time-themed free little library was built and placed at Rosemont Forest Elementary by senior English students as part of their \u201cPassion Project.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some students painted and built structures, which resemble giant birdhouses. They were secured to wooden beams and cemented into automobile tires.<\/p>\n

Others held a schoolwide book drive to stock the libraries, offering a hot chocolate and doughnut party prize to the class collecting the most books.<\/p>\n

Fairy garden and Virginia Beach festival-themed libraries were each placed outdoors near private residences. The one near Club Brittany Pool has an ocean theme, while the Rosemont Forest Elementary little library has a story time look. The Salem High School little library resembles an English telephone booth and is positioned near the school\u2019s baseball field.<\/p>\n

Community members are welcome to take a book for free and encouraged to place books inside the libraries.<\/p>\n

English department chair Kathleen Trace has incorporated service learning into her classes for 18 years.\u00a0 She brought the \u201cPassion Project\u201d to Salem during her first year at the school 10 years ago. The following year the project became a Salem-wide senior year experience.<\/p>\n

Trace is passionate about the Passion Project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a firm believer that self-driven free inquiry in relation to something students are passionate about gives them the drive to find new pathways to learning,\u201d she said. Students have the chance to be creative and solve real-world problems, she added.<\/p>\n

Senior Jackson Chase said the project was gratifying. \u201cYour work actually goes to improve someone\u2019s life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Two of the five free little libraries built by Salem High English students were placed near private residences.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Two of the five free little libraries built by Salem High English students were placed near private residences.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Students had a choice as part of their senior English class \u201cPassion Project\u201d focused on literacy. Some chose to read to students at Rosemont Forest Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Salem High School senior English students, including Steel McLeod, left, and Jackson Chase, not only planned and constructed five free little libraries for the community, but also stocked them with books through a schoolwide book drive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

-By Cindy Butler Focke Virginia Beach has five more free little libraries thanks to Salem High School senior English students, including Steel McLeod. \u201cI\u2019m actually helping people,\u201d Steel said. \u201cHonestly, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":11895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11892"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11913,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11892\/revisions\/11913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}