Hali Oliver, left, looked over options at a book fair in the West Jessamine Middle School library during the school's family-literacy night last Tuesday. (Photo by Jonathan Kleppinger / March 13, 2012) |
Two weeks after leap day and two days after clocks sprung forward, the West Jessamine Middle School community took a leap of its own toward literacy.
The school celebrated literacy’s involvement in several different disciplines during the “Leap Into Your Future with Literacy” event last Tuesday, March 13. Hundreds of students and their families filled the school from 5-7 p.m.
“We try to show them that they use literacy in every single class, whether they think that they do or not. With the band, you have to know how to read the music — the same thing with the chorus,” said Amanda Baumfeld, a literacy teacher who helped coordinate the event. “We have work displayed in the hallways that shows how important literacy is, not just now when they’re in school, but once they grow up, they’re going to need it to be successful.”
The event featured performances in the gym by the school’s sixth-grade band, eighth-grade French students and sixth-grade chorus as well as chances to visit classrooms and see student work from all year. Spanish students presented a “Galería de Cultura” in their classroom featuring food and drink from Spanish-speaking countries.
