Wanted: Reading mentors

By CHARLY MARKWART

PRINCETON — It’s the middle of the academic year in the local public schools, and that means that many of the county’s youngest students have already made leaps and bounds in their reading abilities. That growth is sure to continue throughout the upcoming semester, but unfortunately, statistics show that for several students, some of those gained skills will be lost over the course of a summer break that often includes few educational experiences.

That’s where Energy Express comes into play. Administered by the West Virginia University Extension Service, the six-week summer mentoring program offers children, especially those of low-income families, the opportunity to continue to develop academically throughout the summer. The summer of 2009 will mark the 15th year the statewide program has been offered in Mercer County.

“Research shows that low-income kids don’t get the same opportunities as others during the summer,” said Brenda McDonald Pruett, extension agent at the WVU Mercer County Extension office. “Therefore, instead of maintaining or increasing their reading scores, those students’ scores actually decrease. We have seen a 3.5-month increase in reading scores for the average child in Energy Express. When those scores generally decrease, the fact that we actually increase is really exciting.”

The summer months may seem distant, but Pruett has good reason to be speaking about Energy Express now, even as the frigid winds of winter still blow outside. In January, the program agents will begin recruiting 2009 mentors. Energy Express mentors, who through their service become AmeriCorps members, must be at least 18 years old and accepted to a college or other institution of higher learning.

“We really need mentors to make this program possible, and we need them to start applying soon; March 2 is the deadline for mentor applications,” said Pruett. “We always get really, really good applicants, No. 1 because our application process is so serious that anybody who is not serious is not going to apply. The great thing is that being a mentor is an AmeriCorps position, so these students are doing service to America.”

Through a grant from AmeriCorps, Energy Express mentors receive an educational stipend and a living allowance during the eight-week period in which they serve the program. After two weeks of training, Pruett says mentors spend six weeks working to instill a passion for reading within their own personalized groups of students.

“They work with a small group of eight children,” she explained. “Throughout the program, they do hands-on activities around reading and a love for reading. They may do skits or artwork, and they will do some actual writing in journals and reading of books. But, this isn’t a program that teaches phonics or reading skills; it’s a program that focuses on a love of reading.”

That focus has proven to be successful in the 14 years since Energy Express’ foundation. In 2008, the program, which in 1994 was offered at just two sites in two counties, was available at 74 sites in 39 West Virginia counties. Of the 2,731 students enrolled in the program last summer, 68 percent maintained or increased their reading achievement levels. And, in an effort to encourage the reading experience to continue at home, the program distributed more than 16,000 books to the enrolled students.

“Each week of the program, every student gets to take home a book to keep,” said Sharon Dyer, elementary supervisor for Mercer County Schools. “Energy Express makes reading fun. It keeps students immersed in really good literature, and in the popular books that they love.”

And, the program doesn’t only focus on the benefits of reading. In response to statistics that show that underprivileged children lose nutritional well-being in the months that they don’t receive school meals, Energy Express serves breakfast and lunch to all of its students. Last year, 139,726 meals were served throughout the state.

“There is a daily routine which includes meeting in the cafeteria with the mentors for breakfast and lunch everyday,” said Pruett. “The summer feeding program is sponsored by CASE of West Virginia (Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia.)”

With support from CASE and other community and statewide organizations, Energy Express leaders are hoping that the program will be able to survive the budget cuts that have hindered so many similar offerings recently. Still, financial setbacks have become a concern in the local administration of the program.

“In June of 2007, a $50,000 budget cut in my office resulted in the loss of a clerical worker, which means that I am having to do a lot of clerical work rather than Energy Express work,” said Pruett. “The cut will also result in a loss of programs if it is not worked out.”

Concord University, an annual supporter of Energy Express in Mercer County, is working to provide volunteer clerical workers to ease some of the strain of that budget cut, but Pruett says more help can always be used. Community members wanting to assist, she says, can volunteer time in the clerical department or make monetary donations to the program.

“We could really use more financial support than ever this year,” she said.

Still, Pruett seems confident that Energy Express will have the resources to continue improving students’ reading abilities far into the future. In Mercer County, she says, the program has always stood on the support of a community full of people more than willing to support their students.

“There’s a local collaboration of more than 50 organizations in Mercer County that helps to keep Energy Express going here,” she said. “I can hardly name a group that at some point in time hasn’t supported us in some way. CASE, Mercer County Schools, Title One, Community Connections, Concord and COFFEE have supported us all 15 years. And there are many other organizations that have given hours of support to our program.”

With the promise of that support in mind, Pruett’s biggest concern remains to be the recruitment of the mentors who serve as the heartbeat that truly keeps the Energy Express program alive. Last year, 389 college students throughout the state served as mentors. While Pruett knows that those students provide an invaluable service to the program, she believes that Energy Express has something to offer to them, as well.

“The mentors gain excellent experience,” she said. “One of the things that the program has done over the years is really helped students to gain a new appreciation for what’s involved in teaching. I have seen college students who were going into teaching do this for a summer and then say, ‘No way” to teaching, and then I’ve seen students going into engineering just fall in love with teaching while they were a mentor. So, we’re really doing a service to that age group because they learn what they want to do and what they don’t.”

And, most important of all, Pruett says Energy Express gives mentors the chance to make a lasting impact on the lives of local children.

“These mentors make reading come alive for these kids,” she said.

The proposed Mercer County sites for Energy Express 2009, which will run June 29-Aug. 7, are Bluefield Intermediate, Mercer School, Lashmeet/Matoaka, and Oakvale. To apply as an Energy Express mentor, go to http://www.energyexpress.wvu.edu/index.htm. To make a monetary donation to the program, volunteer as a clerical worker in the West Virginia University Mercer County Extension Office, or find out more about Energy Express, call 425-3079.

— Contact CharLy Markwart at cmarkwart@ptonline.net.