Historical November 1997 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
This month’s spotlight is on volunteers.
Each year, students from area middle schools, high schools and other organizations come to Hamilton to work with our students.
Most of the students that volunteer are working for credit hours for a service project requirement.
This year we have more volunteers than ever before.
On Monday afternoons, students from DeSmet Jesuit High School work at Hamilton.
On Wednesday afternoons, we have students from Westminster Christian Academy.
In November, we will add a student from Visitation Academy. Students from St. Louis University High School will spend the whole school day at Hamilton during the month of January. And every day, we have middle school and high school students from Crossroads School at 500 DeBaliviere Ave.
The volunteers give individualized instruction in reading, spelling, math and other academic areas.
The special attention they give our students helps to motivate their academic achievement. First grader Jacorey Shettleworth works with Katrina Denton from Westminster Christian Academy. “She helps me sound out the words and spell them and she helps me read,” says Jacorey. “I got to read to Kara [Muhilly from Crossroads School],” adds his classmate Keith Murphy. “I had fun because I like reading and she said I read better.” “This is a great experience for our kids.
They learn so much about how they can work with other people.
It challenges them to think of ways they can help another child learn something,” states Crossroads Volunteer Coordinator Marjie Butler. Many of the Crossroads Students who volunteered last year have returned to Hamilton this year.
In addition to the students, our volunteers include Alice Kitchen and Rosemarie Scharff from the OASIS program.
This is Dr. Kitchen’s second year volunteering at Hamilton, and the fourth year for Mrs. Scharff.
Dr. Jack Gilister, a retired Pediatric Dentist, comes to us from the Interact Program.
The Better Family Life Organization, funded by personal membership, corporate funding, and grants, provides the Give Me Five Program to our second graders. Program instructor Kelly Wimbley teaches students about food groups, nutrition, and the importance of reading labels.
Another volunteer program at Hamilton this year is RIF—Reading is Fundamental.
This reading motivation program helps children appreciate books as a source of pleasure and entertainment.
The RIF program is a joint effort of the St. Louis Public Schools, Federal and State Government, and a number of private sources.
We are having a great year so far.
The students are getting a lot of enriching one-to-one instruction thanks to all of our volunteers. Our next project is the Celebrity Readers Club, which will begin in January.
If you know any St. Louis Celebrities that might want to volunteer to read to classes at Hamilton, please contact Shelly Schuermeyer or Trisha Martin at 367-0552. Thanks for all your support.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November 1997.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1997_11.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 4.
