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SYRACUSE - A demonstration of the Reading Recovery Program delighted those in attendance at the Wawasee School Board meeting Tuesday.
Janet Perzee's report on the program, which is in its first full year, included a demonstration by Robert, a first-grader who is one of the program's many success stories.
Robert read aloud from two stories, his books projected onto a screen so the audience could follow along. When he had trouble with a word, Perzee reminded him to find the word with his finger so he could pronounce it.
After the first reading, Perzee brought Robert back to the page where he said "blowing" instead of "breathing."
"Is it blowing?" she asked. "How do you know?"
His finger slid tentatively to the text, paused, then jumped to the letter "r."
"If anyone tells you Reading Recovery doesn't teach phonics, please remember 'blowing' and 'breathing,'" Perzee said.
She said Robert's reading ability was at level 1 when he began the program; now he is on the 14th of 20 levels - about the same as his classmates - and almost ready to finish the program.
Perzee said 46 students have gone through Reading Recovery, including 14 who have completed it. Nine teachers are involved in the program, each working with four students. Perzee is training eight teachers in once-a-week sessions, for which they will earn credit at Purdue University.
The program is preparing students for a lifetime of learning. "We want (students) to be independent and using strategies when they go back to the classroom," Perzee said.
In other business:
• Grants were awarded to two schools in the Wawasee system from Dekko Corp. Wawasee High School will receive $92,000 to update the video production studio, and Syracuse Elementary will receive $15,000 for a heart-rate monitor and other fitness testing equipment.
Also, Ikon Corp. of Fort Wayne donated $5,679 to the high school scholarship fund, and the Knights of Columbus donated $500 for special education at North Webster School.
• Brian Dawes was sworn in as a new school board member. He replaced Mike Kern, who resigned late last year.
• The board granted permission to advertise for bids for new tennis courts at the high school. The advertisement will run Feb. 18 and 25, and bids will be opened March 9 at the central office. Administrators hope to bring a recommendation at the March 10 board meeting.
The corporation plans to change the location of the courts and increase the number of courts from eight to 10.
• The April school board meeting was moved from April 14 to April 21.
