VOLUMES OF POSSIBILITIES SCHOOL LIBRARY PROGRAM CREATES NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG READERS.Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer IN A 1977 episode of the sitcom ``Happy Days,'' Fonzie - the personification personification, figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstract ideas are endowed with human qualities, e.g., allegorical morality plays where characters include Good Deeds, Beauty, and Death. of cool - decides to get a library card. After it aired, library card applications soared 500 percent across the country. It's the stuff of legend among caretakers of books organized by the Dewey Decimal System A numerical classification system of books employed by libraries. The Dewey Decimal System, created by Melvil Dewey, is a reference system that classifies all subjects by number. The numbers in a particular grouping all refer to a designated general topic. . Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler (b. October 30, 1945) is a Golden Globe Award-winning American actor, director, producer and author. He is perhaps most famous for his role as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the popular sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984). hopes to inspire such enthusiasm in a new generation of kids when he takes part Sunday in Explore-A-Story, a fund-raiser for the nonprofit Wonder of Reading, which refurbishes and restocks public school libraries. Winkler Winkler may refer to:
``The main thrust of the books is that they're funny,'' he said. ``It's not, `Oh, woe is me Woe Is Me is the twelfth serial in the United States children's television series My Little Pony. Synopsis The Little Ponies provide shelter to Woebegone, a wandering hobo who brings bad luck and disaster wherever he goes. , I got a problem.' It's `Woe is me, I got a problem and now I gotta figure out how to get out of it.' ``And the response that I get ... Lizzie from Cincinnati wrote me - she's 9 years old - she said, `Hank can't spell. I can't spell. I could be a writer.' It's unbelievably touching and rewarding and phenomenal.'' At the Explore-A-Story event, Winkler says, he will read a passage about a spelling test A spelling test is an assessment of a person's (usually a student's) ability to spell words correctly. Spelling tests are usually given in school during language arts class, to see how well each student has learned the most recent spelling lesson. from ``I Got a D in Salami,'' in which his teacher, Ms. Adolf, ``is making sounds that sound like the Gollum.'' It's the first fund-raiser in 11 years of operation for Wonder of Reading, which was founded by Pacific Theaters CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Christopher Forman. The event includes screenings of book-inspired movies, celebrity readers, popular authors like David Shannon (``No, David!''), and appearances by Dora the Explorer Dora the Explorer is an animated television series that is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A pilot episode for the series aired in 1999, and Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. and Curious George, among others. The menu even includes green eggs and hamburgers. Wonder of Reading is privately funded and serves the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. and five other districts, mainly in the San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and to the west of the Inland Empire. . ``We have what we call the 3R Program, which is Renovate, Restock re·stock tr.v. re·stocked, re·stock·ing, re·stocks To furnish new stock for; stock again. Verb 1. restock - stock again; "He restocked his land with pheasants" and Read,'' explained executive director Beth Michelson. ``Renovate and restock are sort of the initial phase. ``Every school has something that they call a library, but very typically it's a classroom. You could have as many as 2,500 students in a school, and they still have the same one room as the library,'' she said. ``Not only can you not get the kids in there, you really can't get the number of books per student that we know you need because they physically can't house them. It's kind of a vicious cycle, because if they don't have the room for them, then it's hard to put the resources into buying the books, and on and on.'' A school must apply to the program and must find approved space for the new library, secure some of the funding and line up volunteers to carry it through, long before Wonder of Reading crews come in with paint, carpet, shelving, ``story stairs'' and other elements that make the space so appealing and user friendly. The third R is for Read, its one-on-one reading partner program that trains volunteers to work with struggling readers. Newer programs include library skills training for parents and other volunteers, adult literacy for non-English speaking parents, and visiting author events. ``Our purpose is to inspire the love of reading,'' Michelson said. ``We aren't the teachers. We are doing things to augment what they are doing in school, not to try to replicate that.'' Marilyn Robertson, LAUSD's coordinating field librarian, wrote her doctoral dissertation a couple of years ago on the impact of Wonder of Reading, looking at standardized test scores over time and talking with parents, students, teachers and librarians. ``What became clear was that where there was an investment in the library, test scores rose,'' Robertson said. ``The whole school community rallies around the effort, there's an investment and heart almost in making an environment that's conducive to reading. In some cases it's the most beautiful place in the school and they're proud of it. ``For kids who didn't have books in the home, it was a lifeline, a transfusion.'' Winkler, a successful actor, producer and published author, said his reading ability has improved but he still is affected by dyslexia. He once wished he never had the problem, but now he sees it as part of who he is, an ambitious entertainer at ease with the spoken word and a champion of kids' causes through the Children's Action Network. ``Every book that I read I have to own in hardback, and it is on my shelf so I can see it, because every one of them is a triumph,'' he said. ``I'm very clear with the kids. I tell them my story first before I read. ``I thought I was stupid until about last Wednesday. Then what I realized was that, if you keep your eye on the prize, there is no reason why you cannot achieve whatever it is you imagine.'' Valerie Kuklenski, (818) 713-3750 valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com EXPLORE-A-STORY: A CELEBRATION OF BOOKS What: A family-friendly fundraiser for the Wonder of Reading Program, featuring readings and appearances by popular authors, live entertainment, movies, activities and kids' favorite picture book characters. Where: ArcLight Hollywood, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd. When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $75 each, $275 for a family of four. Call (310) 996-1188; www.wonderofreading.org. CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) ON THE COVER: Zander zan·der n. pl. zander or zan·ders A common European pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca) valued as a food fish. [German, from Low German Sander Whittemore is engrossed en·gross tr.v. en·grossed, en·gross·ing, en·gross·es 1. To occupy exclusively; absorb: A great novel engrosses the reader. See Synonyms at monopolize. 2. in a book in the newly renovated Colfax Elementary library. (2 -- color) Colfax students read in the North Hollywood school's newly refurbished library, which was redone re·done v. Past participle of redo. through funding from Wonder of Reading. Sunday's Explore-A-Story: A Celebration of Books event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit program. (3 -- color) Library aide Jan Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. reads to Colfax students as part of the Wonder of Reading program. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer (4 -- color) no caption (books: Hank Zipzer) |
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