A focus on reading and mathematics has always been conventional wisdom in public education. In Logan County, the development and enrichment of these two skills doesn’t stop at the doors of the classroom. In the southern end of the county, at Adairville School, the lessons go home with students. Programs like Accelerated Reader, Scholastic Reading/Math Inventories, and Response to Intervention Programs all focus on evaluating students based on where they are in reading and math and then taking them to the next level.
The school further recognizes that in order to truly reach their full potential in reading and math, students must be excited about these subjects. That excitement starts at a young age, instilling in young minds a desire to read and conceptually understand mathematics. To help with this, Adairville opened its doors to students and parents alike for a night of fun, reading, math, and community.
The annual Adairville Family Math & Reading Night took place on Thursday, Feb. 11. This event, coordinated by Adairville’s own Kaye Hendricks, Tiffany Morgan, and Danielle Violette, as well as Family Resource and Youth Services Coordinator Melanie Manley, aimed to achieve that sought-after energy and excitement about reading and math that helps to springboard students into greater successes in all areas. It was a night full of eager minds and vested folks, and the event certainly did not disappoint!
Drawing a crowd of over 100 members of the Adairville community, the event provided two fun-filled hours of reading and math enrichment, while also offering up a meal to all attendees. Parents, students, and teachers enjoyed a pizza dinner together in the cafeteria and then dismissed to attend two Reading activity stations and two Math activity stations.
Students rotated through these four stations, getting to enjoy activities aimed at peaking their interest in reading and math skills. Not only were the students treated to the activities, but parents followed along with their child, gaining the valuable time to watch their child in an interactive academic setting.
Two popular stations were "Story time with Mrs. Rice" (Adairville Principal), and "Story time with Mr. Bruni" (Adairville Assistant Principal). Here, students were given the chance to sit and hear the Adairville administration read some of their favorite books while also discussing why these books were important to each of them.
Mrs. Rice and Mr. Bruni weren’t the only ones helping out though. Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Baker along with Mecia Ryan welcomed students in for a similar reading time, as did 1st grade teacher Kristen Potter and Adairville PTO President Amanda Robey. The personal connections combined with the lessons learned made for valuable bond building between the students, parents, and presenters as well as demonstrating the importance of reading isn’t just a school-hours priority for the staff and stakeholders of the school.
In four other classrooms, students enjoyed fun Math games with their parents and siblings. Rooms manned by 2nd grade teachers Mallory Ervin and Carrie Shanklin as well as Sally Graves and preschool teacher Debbie McClellan provided a wide range of mathematical games, activities, and mini fun lessons.
Exceptional Ed teachers Brittney King and Jennifer Ferguson held mathematical games and competitions in a room while 3rd grade teachers Nicole Robinson and Rebekah Marias showed students how to take basic math lessons and turn them into a wide range of activities that connected with their age ranges.
With so many younger students in the building, fostering that desire to be involved in math was critical point of emphasis. Each stop for participants was designed to show both the practical uses of mathematics as well as ways in which it can be fun to learn about.
The night wasn’t all academics, as several donated door prizes were given away. With sessions lasting just 15 minutes in order to keep material fresh, the conclusion of each was marked by several winners of smaller prizes being announced. At the conclusion of the evening, two grand prizes were given away. Two lucky students were awarded with brand new Kindle Fire Tablets. The lucky winners of the Kindle Fire tablets were Lydia Jenkins from Mrs. Marais's 3rd grade class and Hayden Kinser from Mrs. Potter's 1st grade class.
The evening was a tremendous success and several local businesses donated services and/or door prizes to the event. Brooks & Hendricks law firm, Roy's BBQ and Southern States all made contributions to the special night.
The contributions of the donors, as well as the time invested by teachers, administrators, parents, and students, all served as a reminder of the strength of the local community’s conviction of commitment to academic excellence at Adairville School. It was a great night to be an Adairville Cardinal!