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Photo Courtesy of Orange Community Education and Recreation
Cleveland.com
Family book project aims to challenge children in Orange School District
By Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com
January 27
PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – Reading and discussing books as a family can be a
bonding and educational experience -- and a great way to pass the time
during the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s the basic idea behind Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover, a family
book project that has been developed by Orange Community Education and
Recreation.
The reading initiative challenges children in pre-kindergarten through
fifth grade and their families to use books to begin meaningful
conversations about inclusion, equity and social justice.
It begins Monday (Feb. 1) and continues through April 4. It’s open to
families who live in the Orange City School District with a child from
age 4 through grade five.
Kelly Borders, assistant director of OCER, came up with the idea.
“We were trying to think of a way we could provide a programming
opportunity for families, for adults to kind of connect with what’s
going on in our world,” Borders told the Orange Board of Education
Monday (Jan. 25).
“So Jill Korsok (director of OCER) challenged me to come up with some kind of program that would help respond to this.”
They talked about doing something centered around Martin Luther King
Jr. Day, Borders said. But she found that activities that happen on
that holiday typically involve people getting together -- not really
appropriate in “a COVID society,” she noted.
“I tried to think of how we could do something that’s really meaningful
and could be done in a safe way to bring people together,” she said.
“My background is in education, so I came up with this family book project. I’m really excited about it.”
Families can register for the free project. The Orange Schools Foundation has provided a grant to help fund it.
Borders, who started her career as a preschool teacher and also has
taught second and third grade, said all participating families will
receive a discussion guide and a curated list of recommended books.
They will also be encouraged to take part in discussions that stretch their thinking as it relates to diversity, she said.
“They’ll choose a book, read it together with their children, they can watch a video, and then discuss it,” she said.
At the end of the challenge, each child will be asked to write his or
her own book related to inclusion, equity or social justice. Blank
books will be provided by OCER, Borders said.
“It can be a story about themselves; it can be a story about something
they’ve learned,” she said. “They will get some suggestions and ideas
on how to start writing this book.”
Books will then be submitted to OCER, which will feature one page of
each book on a yard sign in the Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover
community walk on May 1.
“Families that participated in this project can come out and take a
walk through (the Orange Schools) campus, see everyone’s work and just
really be inspired and moved by what everybody does,” she said.
A slide from Kelly Borders’ presentation to the Orange Board of
Education explains the process for Orange Community Education and
Recreation’s family book project, Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover.
(Screenshot)
The Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Orange branch in Pepper Pike is
also a partner. The library will feature all of the recommended books,
sponsor a related craft activity and hold three online book
discussions, Borders said.
“They were really instrumental in helping us research the books,” she said of the library.
At least one student’s book will also be put on display at the branch for the community walk, she said.
“The teachers (in the Orange Schools) are on board and really excited about it,” Borders said.
“I plan to send out an email each week checking in, to get feedback and to keep everyone engaged in the project,” she added.
Melanie Weltman, vice president of the Orange Board of Education, said she loves the project and thinks it’s “phenomenal.”
“I love everything that has to do with reading, literature and writing,
but I also think in this time it’s a great extended project,” Weltman
said. “I think this could be a great thing.
“When the book walk comes around, I think there could be milestones
along the way, and it could be something we could share with the
extended community, including our community mayors and city (or
village) councils. It’s something they could be interested in.”
Orange school board member Beth Wilson-Fish said: “I love that it’s
free, and I thank the Orange Schools Foundation for that, as well. It’s
a wonderful partnership.”
Borders told the board that OCER’s goal was to have at least 100
children participate in the project. As of Wednesday (Jan. 27), 122 had
registered, she said, so that goal already has been surpassed.
“We had considered expanding it to include older kids in middle school
and high school, but we wanted to start small,” she said. “We may
expand it to include older children (in future years).”
Borders has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a
master’s degree in educational administration, both from Cleveland
State University.
“Down the line, I would love for this idea to spread,” she said. “If
every (school) district could embrace a project like this and have it
be something all students can participate in, I think it would have a
really meaningful impact on all types of kids.”
To register for the project, visit orangerec.com. Pickup of materials
is scheduled for Monday (Feb. 1) at the OCER office at the Pepper Pike
Learning Center, 32000 Chagrin Blvd.
“Even though the project starts Monday (Feb. 1), anyone who registers
late can come to our office and pick up materials,” Borders said.
For more information, call 216-831-8601.
Read this and other stories from Cleceland.com here
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