Middle School Creates Virtual Storytime
Serve others. This is a value we particularly strive to develop in middle school, a time when students can be (developmentally appropriate, of course) self-absorbed. The service learning program, which connects our students with agencies and groups in High Point, gives them the opportunity to practice serving others in a practical way.
One of the partnerships that is flourishing is with Northwood Elementary. Last year, we joined them in developing a collection of virtual storytime videos. Since starting this project, Middle School students from Westchester have added dozens of books to the online collection. This is a wonderful project that gives our students a tangible connection to needs within the community while providing a service that uplifts and inspires others.
An added bonus of this program has been our own students recognizing themselves as gifted readers; they are truly finding themselves in the service to others. So during this cold weekend, snuggle up with a loved one and enjoy the most recent recordings of virtual storytime videos from WCDS.
Virtual storytime began as the Book-Self program for Northwood students to meet the need for virtual storytime during the pandemic. The creator of the program, Kayla Quick, said that distance learning robbed their students of quality, in-person storytime with their teachers, and their parents were struggling to juggle working at home, helping with schoolwork, and carving out storytime at home. She also was striving to provide diverse literature during the storytimes.
“Northwood Elementary is made up of 44 percent African American students, 28 percent Hispanic/Latino students, 12 percent White students, 11 percent Asian students, and 5 percent other groups of students, racially," said Quick. "Diversity in literature is very important, and it is even more important that students are experiencing protagonist characters who look like them. Book-Self is aiming to ensure that students hear books being read that contain people they can become to build their self-esteem.”
WCDS media specialist Alex Frey has been instrumental in selecting books that fit this description. Middle School teachers Frank Morelli and John Hughes have modeled and supervised the storytelling with eight different groups of students thus far. Our Middle School students have thoroughly enjoyed the process while learning from the diverse literature. An added bonus has been that we can share the recordings with other groups too, so this year we have shared them with the Junior League of High Point to add to their virtual library collection, as well as our own Wildcat Nation.
This year, Northwood’s service coordinator, Liz Samuels, visited our students to share Northwood’s mission and invite our service learning groups to adopt a classroom. According to Mrs. Samuels, her students are in dire need of connections with outside positive influences. Our students are sharing their virtual storytime videos (still focusing on using diverse literature from the former Book-Self program) with their buddy classrooms for their teachers to share with them throughout the year. This also provides a break for the teachers since outside volunteers are not allowed to visit campus.
Before COVID, our students had the opportunity to travel to our service learning partner sites and see firsthand how they operate and make connections with the leaders and clients or constituents of the group. While we have not been able to travel to the sites for a couple years, we have enjoyed welcoming their leaders to our campus to explain their mission and how we can best help. We look forward to serving them in person again soon.
Additional storytime playlist links:
Mary Keever
Head of Middle School
