Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2016

COASTNOTES
WHAT ARE YOU
story by Stephanie Parker
photos courtesy of Moss Point School District
READING?
26 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • January 2016
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Mieya Joseph and Kesley Alexander (TOP), as well as Diego (Benjamin) Wood (BOTTOM), are ALL INto Reading E.B. White’s classic Charlotte’s Web.
Moss Point School District has a reading initiative underway as one of the goals of the school year under the administration of the new superintendent, Dr. Shannon Vincent. The ALL INto Reading campaign includes signs throughout the city asking the mayor, bankers, grocers, ministers and daycare providers, “What are you reading?” Each community member, including school district faculty and staff, is encouraged to complete and post the laminated card and change it as often as needed to show students that they are constantly reading.
“This is not an individual issue; this is a community issue,” said Remona Hicks, a curriculum coach with the school district. “It will take the commitment of this community to carry out this campaign.”
Curriculum coaches Susan Stachowski and Remona Hicks analyzed district data and saw that reading levels were not where they should be for students to score well on state assessments. “Our mission is to graduate empowered, world- class citizens, but how can we do that if we don’t help them develop their literacy skills?” Stachowski said.
The ALL INto Reading campaign was developed as a spin- off of the district’s ALL IN campaign.
“It’s time to embrace all the stakeholders because literacy has to be a language that is spoken by everybody for all students to understand the relevance,” says Hicks. “They are expected to do well, and they are expected to read.”
Each school incorporates daily reading activities and encourages faculty and staff members to develop reading clubs among their colleagues. In addition to the ALL
INto Reading posters, book drop boxes were distributed throughout the community for book donations — new and gently read — with the goal of building classroom libraries.
Drop boxes are at Burnham Drug Store, Moss Point City Hall, Moss Point Parks and Recreation, First Federal Savings and Loan, Merchants and Marine Bank, Singing River Federal Credit Union, Navigator Credit Union, Hancock Bank and Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. Books may also be dropped off at any school.
Moss Point Schools
4924 Church St., Moss Point 228.475.4558 • www.mosspointschools.org