Excelsior High School will be re-opened as a four year institution. The surprising announcement was made this morning at the opening of a reading resource center at what is now Excelsior Junior High. The resource center is stocked with close to three thousand books and is housed in a renovated building on the school's compound on Faber's Road. But with Belize's dismal literacy rate, the idea for the center was fueled by a passion - a passion to read. Keith Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This morning Deputy Chief Education Officer Allan Genitty symbolically cut the ribbon, officially opening the doors to Excelsior Junior High's Reading Resource Center. It is a library with an area for one on one tutoring. It is a fairly small area but head teacher Gayle Thompson and Peace Corp volunteer Katie Jumbe have big hopes for it.
Katie Jumbe, Peace Corp Volunteer
"We wanted a place they could go to find books at any level, a place they could go if teachers assign independent reading. Some of these kids what they like to do is check out books and take them and read them to their little brothers and sisters. Just something that they could use and use often."
Gayle Thompson, Head Teacher - Excelsior Junior High
"To enrich and enhance their reading abilities and to develop the passion for reading that will help to not only build their vocabularies but also to find alternate forms of recreation."
The Reading Resource Center contains close to three thousand books -from fiction to non-fiction and everything in between - from the Wizard of Oz to Spike Lee. Excelsior student Phyllis Audinett already has a list of books she plans on reading.
Phyllis Audinett, Excelsior Junior High Student
"I see a lot of books like more or less from William Shakespeare that I like reading, different history books and children books. I think that I will really like it and appreciate it and I will be here after school."
And if he's true to his word, chances are that after school she'll meet her classmate Phillip Swift in the resource center.
Keith Swift,
When will you use this center?
Phillip Swift, Excelsior Junior High Student
"Like for homework, when you don't know something you can just come and research it."
The center will also be open to students from other schools in the area. That's good news for Saint John's Vianney student Stacy Smith. She has her sights set on the latest edition of 'Goosebumps.'
Keith Swift,
You were looking at the books and a book jumped out at you. Which book was that?
Stacy Smith, St. John's Vianney Student
"Goosebumps. The reason why I picked it is I am a huge fan of it. I
love their stories and it is very interesting to see that I could actually find one."
Keith Swift,
So you will come here and read the book?
Stacy Smith,
"Yes, I might just come."
And so in their first few minutes in the center, Stacy grabbed her Goosebumps, Phillip explored a book on snakes, and Kyron read about how he can be like Mike. Head teacher Thompson says it doesn't really matter what they read, what counts is that the students are reading because the way she sees it - before Ipods and computers - there was reading.
Gayle Thompson,
"Having grown up in the rural area, Bermudian Landing Village to be specific, we as youngsters had to create our own entertainment. We did not have video games, Ipods, Discmans, nor any of the many modern gadgets that today's
youth do. Consequently, from a young age, I developed a passion for reading used it as a means of exploring other countries, experiencing other cultures and immersing myself in my imaginative dream lifestyle."
But Thompson's real dream and hope now is that the resource center will ignite that passion for reading in her students.
