{"id":11922,"date":"2024-02-26T11:11:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T16:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=11922"},"modified":"2024-02-26T11:11:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T16:11:10","slug":"elementary-and-high-school-students-pal-up-for-reading-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/elementary-and-high-school-students-pal-up-for-reading-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Elementary and high school students pal up for reading program"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Bayside High senior Nevaeh Bell,left, read with fifth grader Mercedes Daughtry during the monthly \u201cReading Pals\u201d after-school literacy program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Several dozen Bettie F. Williams Elementary School students stay after school once a month for some fun. They read with high school pals.<\/p>\n

The \u201cReading Pals\u201d literacy program was organized by the Kenneth Dorsey Jr. Foundation in partnership with Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The monthly after-school \u201cReading Pals\u201d program at Bettie F. Williams Elementary is coordinated by the Kenneth Dorsey Jr. Foundation and Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads. The foundation’s executive director Kenneth Dorsey Jr. read with Mechaela Johnson, left, and Ta’layah Dunnington during a recent session.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy goal is to create an environment where students are engaged,\u201d said Kenneth Dorsey Jr., the foundation\u2019s executive director. Fourth and fifth graders practice reading, and high school volunteer pals gain leadership skills.<\/p>\n

They gather in a classroom at the end of the school day for a snack before reading to or with a designated high school reading pal for 30 minutes. The student-to-student ratio is usually 1-to-1, or 1-to-2.<\/p>\n

Mercedes Daughtry read \u201cPopcorn!\u201d by Elaine Landau with Bayside High School senior Nevaeh Bell. He\u2019s glad his mother signed him up for the program. \u201cI want to read more,\u201d Mercedes said.<\/p>\n

Nevaeh said reading with the younger students will help her in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually want to be a teacher,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is also a good way to give back and help the kids.\u201d\u00a0 She is in the \u201cVirginia Teachers for Tomorrow\u201d program and was recently accepted to Winston-Salem State University.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Princess Anne High School senior Emma Gallacher, right, was fifth grader Maegan Hassell\u2019s reading pal at Bettie F. Williams Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearby, Princess Anne High senior Emma Gallacher listened patiently while Maegan Hassell read part of the book \u201cBlended,\u201d by Sharon Draper.<\/p>\n

Emma heard about \u201cReading Pals\u201d from a friend. \u201cI like to be involved in the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Maegan placed the book back in the bin after the reading session ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I can keep reading it next time,\u201d she said.\u00a0 The fifth grader said she likes talking with friends and the high school volunteers after school.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s helped me go from an introvert to an extravert,\u201d she said with a smile.<\/p>\n

Dorsey attended Bayside Elementary, Bayside Middle School and the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School. \u00a0He earned an industrial engineering degree from Virginia Tech, a Master of Business Administration from Radford University, and is employed as an engineer at Sentara Healthcare.<\/p>\n

He first volunteered after-school at Bayside Middle as a tutor and mentor. Dorsey said he gave back to his alma mater because he wished someone had shared some tools for success with him when he was their age.<\/p>\n

His desire to help youth led to the creation of the Kenneth Dorsey Jr. Foundation in 2021. The mission is to provide students with necessary tools for success through mentoring, tutoring and early career exploration.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Some of the students he mentored at Bayside Middle, including Noah Wagner, are now in high school and part of \u201cReading Pals\u201d with Bettie F. Williams\u2019 students.<\/p>\n

Noah is a Bayside High School junior who said he gained valuable knowledge from Dorsey, and has learned a lot about various opportunities for study within the school system. He previously attended the Global Studies & World Language Academy at Tallwood High School and is now in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools half-day Environmental Studies Program at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation\u2019s Brock Environmental Center.<\/p>\n

He enjoys sharing information and answering questions about being in middle and high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help these kids,\u201d Noah said. \u201cHopefully I can have a positive impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

The high school students offer valuable advice to the younger students, Dorsey said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
VBCPS high school students read with Bettie F. Williams Elementary fourth and fifth-graders monthly as part of the \u201cReading Pals\u201d literacy program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSometimes students take in a message when it comes from a new voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The teens occasionally seek counsel from Dorsey. He regularly asks if they have questions, need advice, or want to share information, such as accolades, achievements or college acceptances.<\/p>\n

Communities in Schools\u2019 mission aligns with Dorsey\u2019s purpose. The nonprofit organization has site coordinators in about 30 area schools, including six in Virginia Beach. Its mission is to offer a network of support and resources to enable students to stay in school and be successful.<\/p>\n

Bettie F. Williams Elementary site coordinator Arianna Pereras works full-time with school staff, volunteers and business partners to provide extra support for students and looks for after-school programs and events to address different challenges. The goal for Williams Elementary is to improve reading levels and social skills, she said.<\/p>\n

Pereras said she has seen a more positive attitude towards reading in the students who participate in \u201cReading Pals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking it fun changes their perception about reading,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit www.kennethdorseyjrfoundation.org<\/a> or cisofhamptonroads.org.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The monthly after-school \u201cReading Pals\u201d program at Bettie F. Williams Elementary is coordinated by the Kenneth Dorsey Jr. Foundation and Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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