Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is an annual event created to engage elementary children throughout the nation on the same day each year. WVPB has partnered with Jumpstart to provide this national event on a local level to the Mountain State‘s children. This year, Read for the Record Day is October 28, and we’re still in need of at least 16 volunteers in specific counties listed below.
The state-wide event utilizes up to 200 volunteers reading to children in schools, libraries, and youth organizations. Last year, our volunteers read to 6,781 early learners, and we hope to exceed that number this year!
Currently, we have 110 volunteers signed up and 42 counties represented by at least one volunteer. Our goal is to have at least one volunteer in each county.
Director of Programming Eddie Isom believes that Read for the Record not only provides excellent community engagement, but also aligns with what we at WVPB believe in. “West Virginia Public Broadcasting is excited to be involved in Read for the Record again this year,” Isom said. “Education and early literacy always have been an important part of WVPB’s mission. We hope that reading to kids throughout the state will get them excited about reading and experiencing the joy stories can bring to them.”
The book for Read for the Record 2021 is Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon. The book follows Amy Wu as she struggles to create a dragon that feels like hers until a family member sparks her creativity.
As the Read for the Record Day approaches, WVPB is needing at least one volunteer in the following counties: Wood, Wirt, Mingo, Logan, Wyoming, Summers, Monroe, Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Pendleton, Barbour, Gilmer, and Hancock.
If you would like to volunteer for Read for the Record 2021, click here. If you have questions, please email education specialist Harrison Evans at hevans@wvpublic.org.
Chelsea Price, a high school and middle school teacher from Boone County, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award, which recognizes excellence and creativity in Mountain State teachers.
Price was honored by WVPB in front of her class, nominator and administrator at Scott High School in Madison, West Virginia, where she was presented a monetary award, our signature Blenko Above and Beyond blue apple paperweight, and a host of other special gifts made possible by the sponsorship of Advantage Technology. She is our winner for September.
Price teaches music and film appreciation, theatre, piano and choir at Scott High School and at Madison Middle School, she teaches two sections of choir. Price is also the director of the county’s Scholastic Team for the Arts and Greater Enrichment (S.T.A.G.E.). Since 1998, this program has provided a creative outlet for students all over Boone County in building, rehearsing, accompanying and performing in an annual county-wide musical production.
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(L-R): Emily Price (Nominator and Scott High School sophomore) and Chelsea Price (Above and Beyond September winner) pose in front of the “Broadway Wall.”
Emily Price, a Scott High School sophomore who is not related to her teacher, nominated Chelsea Price because her involvement with the S.T.A.G.E. program influenced the teen’s life. “Ms. Price was a student in this program herself and has continued enriching the lives of students with music and drama through it. I have been in S.T.A.G.E. for eight years and have seen all the work that Ms. Price puts into the show,” Emily Price said. “Much of the work is on her own time, evenings and weekends, but what we as students get from it is special. The program has taught me discipline, given me confidence and has given me a love for music and theater.
“I have always enjoyed having Ms. Price as my teacher,” Emily Price said. “She is always encouraging us to do our best and to have confidence. She believes in her students. She has always believed in me, and I know others feel the same way.” In addition to the S.T.A.G.E. program, Chelsea Price is also passionate about choir and community service. “Ms. Price encourages her students to audition for the West Virginia All State Honor Choir and takes the students to the annual conference each year. The annual chorus concerts at Scott High School are always a beautiful sound to hear. She does an amazing job,” Emily Price said.
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WVPB
Chelsea Price posing with our signature Blenko Above and Beyond blue apple paperweight and yard sign highlighting her accomplishment.
Chelsea Price is an active member of Zion Missionary Baptist Church serving as choir director. She is a member of the Madison/Danville Jaycees and is a 4-H counselor at summer camps. She views what she does for a living as something special and says that it gives her a sense of pride. “Being a music educator is definitely one of the most rewarding careers I could ever imagine. Waking up each day to share my passion for music and acting with my students brings a new sense of adventure and excitement to each day. Working at my alma mater, Scott High School, and with the S.T.A.G.E. program, gives me a great sense of pride in knowing that something we do or say may spark that little flame of creativity in someone else to share their talents or discover talents they never knew they possessed,” Chelsea Price said. “The S.T.A.G.E. program is one I hold very near to heart… It was this very program that fostered my love for musical theater and the moto of ‘Live Life in the Spotlight.”
Chelsea Price is the final winner in our inaugural class of Above And Beyond teachers. Later this month, we will announce the first winner for our 2021-2022 class of teachers. We are taking nominations at wvpublic.org.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s PBS Kids show, Elinor Wonders Why, is all about exploring and learning. This week, that came in handy for a special Inquire Within event at the Mason County Library.
Six children and seven adults were on hand for a fun lesson about shapes and colors of leaves right as we head into the season for beautiful Fall foliage in West Virginia.
Program coordinator Cindy Williams felt the content provided by PBS Kids and PBS LearningMedia were helpful with this event. “It was so easy to create a fun, interactive lesson using PBS LearningMedia. For my 3- and 4-year-old little explorers, the Ready to Learn lessons are perfect to discover a topic with characters they are already familiar with,” Williams said. “We had so much fun exploring leaves with the Elinor Wonders Why gang! I am currently changing lesson plans to include more PBS content!”
Children in attendance were met with a video introduction from Elinor followed by a pool of leaves to admire and interact with.
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WVPB
(L-R): Rowsey Vanscoy, Gracy Blain, Ari Mayes, Lexi McConihay, Beyler Bonecutter, Cindy Williams (program coordinator), Jordan Pinson
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WVPB
(L-R): Rowsey Vanscoy, Gracy Blain, Ari Mayes, Lexi McConihay, Beyler Bonecutter, Cindy Williams (program coordinator), Jordan Pinson
Megan Bonecutter thought the leaf activity was a great way for her daughter to understand leaves and associated seasonal changes. “My daughter loved the leaf activity taught by Ms. Cindy. She enjoyed the story and really loved the activity of tracing leaves. When we came home, she immediately headed out to the backyard to find as many different types of leaves as she could to sort and trace,” Bonecutter said. “Another special moment of Beyler’s was discovering the library’s ‘magic tree’ that will change colors. We’ve driven by the library quite a few times in the past few days and every time we pass, we notice small changes happening. This activity with leaves falling has helped Beyler understand why the current season is named ‘fall.’
Megan McConihay enjoyed watching her children learn with Elinor. “I love that PBS has characters like Elinor that my kids can enjoy and imitate during their own play, and they don’t even realize how much they’re learning while they do it! They think they’re just playing,” McConihay said.
Amy Pinson emphasized the importance of story time at her local library, stating that it transforms trips to the library into something more. “Story time has helped us to turn a trip to the library into ‘an event’ and Ms. Cindy is always sure to make it exciting! For example, this past week we went ‘exploring’ outside and found all kinds of leaves,” Pinson said. “We discovered leaves come in all different shapes and sizes just like Elinor in our story! My toddler, Jordan, loves going to story time every week and is always so excited to go to the library. My hope is he will always think of reading & learning as an exciting activity.”
Lacy Blain highlights the importance of the PBS Kids content that Inquire Within provides participating libraries. “My child loves to watch PBS and play on the app. I love it because it’s not just entertainment – my child learns so much,” Blain said.
For more on WVPB’s Inquire Within program, click here. If you would like to see Inquire Within in your local community library, please email education specialist Harrison Evans at hevans@wvpublic.org.
Marianna Ruggiero, an elementary school teacher from Morgan County has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award, which recognizes excellence and creativity in Mountain State teachers.
Ruggiero was honored by WVPB in front of her art class, nominator and administrator at Warm Springs Intermediate School in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, where she was presented a monetary award, our signature Blenko Above and Beyond blue apple paperweight, and a host of other special gifts made possible by the sponsorship of Advantage Technology. She is our winner for August.
Ruggiero is an art teacher in and team leader for her Related Arts program, which includes the subject areas of art, computer, library, music and physical education. She serves on the principal’s cabinet and encourages students to create art for the annual Youth Art Show every March at the local art center in Berkeley Springs.
Marianna Ruggiero
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“In 2019, all grade levels at WSIS collaborated to create this 8 x 12 mural completely from plastic trash to raise awareness about the plastic pollution in our oceans. The mural is on display at the Ice House in Berkeley Springs,” Ruggiero said.
Ruggiero also promotes and encourages students to create art for the annual Youth Art Show every March at the local art center in Berkeley Springs.
Retired school library media specialist Susan Thomas nominated Ruggiero for this honor stating that she prioritizes her students and is a dedicated member of the community working hard to give back to it. “Marianna’s primary concern is with the students, providing engaging lessons and giving opportunities for all abilities, developing ideas, applying for grants, and figuring out the logistics have contributed to the successful community projects she has accomplished,” Thomas said. “Teaching is a hard job and, especially in these past couple of years, every teacher has had to go above and beyond. Ms. Ruggiero spends countless hours planning projects, securing funds, facilitating projects, and always putting students first. From a tiny drawing to an impressive mural for the community, her students learn how to express themselves through art.”
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WVPB
(L-R): Susan Thomas (nominator), Marianna Ruggiero (August Above and Beyond winner) and Rebecca Huber (administrator)
Ruggiero not only has a passion for teaching but was thankful to be recognized for it. “I am truly blessed to get to do what I love for a living, but it’s not all unicorns and rainbows (although they do make appearances),” Ruggiero said. “It’s hard work! I appreciate that West Virginia Public Broadcasting is recognizing teachers, as so many go ‘Above And Beyond’ every day.”
She said she enjoys a challenge and tries to provide experiences for her students that are cross-curricular, relevant to their lives, and often have connections to the community. “Our Intermediate students are the best, and they inspire me to continue learning and improving. I know that most of my students won’t grow up to become professional artists, but I think the skills learned in art class (creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, collaboration, communication, etc.) will serve them well, wherever their lives’ paths lead,” Ruggiero said. “I especially want to thank Susan Thomas for nominating me, and principal Rebecca Huber for always supporting me when I come to her with my ‘outside the box’ ideas!”
Principal Rebecca Huber agrees that Ruggiero goes above and beyond every day for the students at Warm Springs Intermediate and her community.
“Miss Ruggiero has always provided opportunities for our students to showcase their artwork in various ways throughout our community. From bottle-cap murals to pottery displays, she has had students experience art in a way that few intermediate-aged students ever get to,” Huber said. “She’s been nominated for Morgan County Teacher of the Year, had her work showcased at the STEAM Power of West Virginia conference, presented at the Arts in Communities conference, and has received numerous grants that help support her classroom. In addition to everything she does for the students and staff at Warm Springs Intermediate School, she also serves as a collaborative arts integration teacher for the Morgan Arts Council. The students and staff of WSIS are incredibly lucky to have her as their art teacher.”
A Clay County trio (Trenton Legg, Ryan Dawson, and Reagan Dawson) recently completed WVPB’s Library Pathfinders program.
Since the program launched in June 2021, a total of eight children from Mason, Clay and Randolph counties have completed the program.
Heather Dawson enjoyed watching her children complete the program and felt it was beneficial to them. “My kids loved completing this program,” said Dawson. “[Library Pathfinders] was [a] great [way] to keep them interested in reading throughout the summer!”
WVPB education director Kelly Griffith is hopeful this program will continue to reach families and communities across the state of West Virginia. “We are thrilled to partner with our local libraries and bring this program to life in the Mountain State. Libraries have always been the heartbeat of communities and will be the shining stars of Library Pathfinders,” Griffith said. “As we continue to push forward from COVID-19, this initiative allows students, parents, librarians and teachers to engage in a virtual and safe environment. We are looking forward to seeing all the virtual travel to libraries as students participate and learn.”
For more information on Library Pathfinders, including how to participate, click here. For questions regarding the program, please contact WVPB education specialist Harrison Evans at (304) 556-4922.
WVPB offers a unique out-of-school program designed to encourage family engagement and highlight the importance of early literacy in elementary school children; sponsors are needed to make it accessible for West Virginia libraries.
Inquire Withinis designed to bring respected PBS Kids educational content to children via their local library. The program, currently offered in 13 libraries, makes learning enjoyable for children throughout the Mountain State. There are 15 libraries — Sutton Public Library, Helvetia Public Library, Lowe Public Library, Southern Area Library, Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library, Morgan County Public Library, Ohio County Public Library, Brooke County Public Library, Shady Spring Branch Library, Vienna Public Library, Putnam County Library, Cowen Public Library, Louis Bennet Public Library, Fort Ashby Public Library, and Mary H. Weir Public Library — poised to offer the program once a sponsor is identified to help with expenses.
Current participating libraries are Doddridge County Public Library, Tyler County Public Library, Clay County Public Library, Burnsville Public Library, Mason County Library, Hundred Public Library, Hamlin Public Library, Boone-Madison Public Library, Webster-Addison Public Library, Eleanor Branch Library, Buffalo Public Library, Cabell County Public Library, and Raleigh County Public Library – Beckley Branch.
“Inquire Within is a great program that brings smiles to children’s faces, and makes learning an experience rather than a chore,” said Harrison Evans, WVPB education specialist. “Library staff who are able to offer this program frequently mention how beneficial it is to their libraries and respective communities.”
Since January 2021, 163 children and 73 adults have been served by this program, and Evans is hopeful those numbers will continue to rise. “Family engagement is a focal point of Inquire Within,” said Evans. “This program is meant to supplement the work libraries are already doing, while engaging parents and children simultaneously with PBS Kids content.”
Do you know someone who would be willing to sponsor a library (or more)? If so, connect with Todd Frymyer, underwriting manager, at (304) 556-4905.
If you would like to have Inquire Within in your library, connect with Harrison Evans at (304) 556-4922.
