Elementary students read to help others

Yowell Elementary School first-graders have turned into tiny bookworms for a good cause.

Through the "ClassroomsCare" program, Terra Shook's class of 24 students read 100 books along with students across the nation. The goal: Help children in need.

Each class that participates gets to choose where its share of books are donated. Shook's class selected a school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation -- the Oglala Lakota Nation -- in South Dakota.

The Scholastic Book Clubs' "ClassroomsCare" program is a charity-based literacy campaign designed to teach children about the joys and importance of reading and giving.

Shook said it "offers both students and teachers an opportunity to celebrate the importance of reading and to demonstrate our spirit of service and sharing."

The project began this fall, with classes having to read 100 books by Dec. 19. As part of the campaign, Scholastic, a global children's publishing company known for its educational materials, promises to donate up to 1 million books to disadvantaged children across the country.

For hitting the 100-book benchmark, Shook's class is also featured in the hall-of-fame section on Scholastic's Web site.

First-grader Jordan Wilson liked the project because the class played a huge role in cheering up its peers.

"I think the kids felt sad before because they didn't have books," Jordan said.

Classmate Austin Rogers said it was all for a good cause.

"It was important to do this because all kids need help to learn and read," he said. "I liked hearing [about] a lot of fun books while we did this project."
Rhonda Simmons is a staff writer for the Culpeper Star-Exponent.