Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007
Michelle Grigsby loves author Robert Louis Stevenson. She is captivated by the tales of suspense penned by the 19th-century author best known for ‘‘Treasure Island” and ‘‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” both stories that she enjoys.
‘‘I love the adventure,” Grigsby said.
And, for Grigsby, the kickoff of Thurgood Marshall Middle School’s 25-Book Campaign is the perfect way to continue exploring Stevenson’s books.
‘‘I really want to read ‘Kidnapped’ next,” said Grigsby, a seventh-grader at Thurgood Marshall.
The campaign is designed to encourage reading among students. They are required to read 25 books before the end of the school year. There is a list of books they can read for credit, and students can explore other books with a teacher’s approval.
Twenty-two elementary schools and 11 middle schools across the county are participating in similar programs, said Tanzi West, spokeswoman for Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Joy Udejiofor, an instructional coach at Thurgood Marshall, said the reading campaign is designed to increase achievement because the students can read about whatever interests them. Most books are approved as long as they are appropriate for school.
‘‘If they love golf, they can read 25 books about golf,” she said. ‘‘As long as the books are approved, they can read about whatever they want.”
For instance, Curtis Holloway, a seventh-grader at the school, said he just finished his first book. He read ‘‘Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success” by Russell Simmons.
Udejiofor also said the program was meant to foster the sense that reading can be fun.
Grigsby is excited to face the challenge of reading 25 books.
‘‘I’ve read 10 before but never as many as 25,” she said.
The 25-Book Campaign is part of the America’s Choice School program. According to the Prince George’s County Public Schools Web site, the America’s Choice program involves learning through workshop models. Within these models, Thurgood Marshall is introducing the 25-Book Campaign.
According to the site, the campaign is meant to build vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension as well as develop students’ confidence in their ability to read.
‘‘I really enjoy reading,” Holloway said. ‘‘I hope everyone else gets as excited about this.”
E-mail Ryan McDermott at rmcdermott@gazette.net.
