Alecia Foster
NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Balboa Elementary School Principal Lou Stewart
called the debut of a reading program at her school Friday a success.
Everyone from school board members to the mayor of Glendale spent the
morning reading to groups of students at the school.
"We had lots of community leaders we turned into community readers,"
Stewart said.
A total of 20 community leaders turned out for the PTA-sponsored
event, including Mayor Dave Weaver, Supt. Jim Brown and members of the
Board of Education.
Each reader chose books tailored to the grade level of each class, she
said. One guest reader, for example, chose the "Gettysburg Address" and
"The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" for the older students.
Balboa's program, called "Everybody Loves Reading," was based on a
similar program at Glenoaks Elementary. The program was given a catchy
name the students would remember, playing on the name of the popular
television show "Everybody Loves Raymond," Stewart said.
The program went hand in hand with the school's campaign to get
students to do more reading.
Stewart hopes to continue having guest readers at least once a year.
