Mentors make MORE of a difference

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

By Sarah Thompson
Staff Writer

By Sarah Thompson

Staff Writer

Two Plain City elementaries honored Project MORE (Mentoring in Ohio for Reading Excellence) student participants and their mentors Tuesday.

They gathered for a recognition banquet at Der Dutchman May 26. Students from Monroe and Plain City elementaries celebrated their accomplishments and honored their mentors.

“We are here today to thank the students and the mentors for all their hard work,” said Kathy Welch, special education supervisor for Jonathan Alder Schools.

Welch said some students began the program reading 10 words per minute; now, several are reading more than 100 words per minute. Additionally, the volunteer mentors logged more than 550 hours of service.

“There are no words to express to you how much we appreciate the you’ve given to our children,” Welch said.

Plain City Elementary principal Kelly Hicks said she was pleased with the results.

“To see someone’s words per minute go 10 times higher is incredible,” she said.

Student Kayla Harsh was recognized as the first student to complete the Reading A to Z program. Volunteer Amy Bidwdell earned the Outstanding Mentor Award, as well as a special recognition from the Putnam County Education Service Center. She logged 71.5 hours.

Monroe Elementary coordinator Martha Wilson logged more than 152 hours. She said the program benefits the mentor and the student.

“As a coordinator, I feel that the 12 students at Monroe are very much improved in their reading skills. All the mentors receive as much reward from the program as the children,” she said.

The district started using the program in October 2007. Third- and fourth-grade students with disabilities are targeted with materials from the Reading A to Z program. Coordinators Amy Ferancy and Wilson organized individual lesson plans for the volunteers to follow and schedules, and monitor progress.

Project MORE is a scientifically based reading research volunteer reading mentoring project for students with disabilities that has demonstrated statistically significant reading results since 1999, according to the Project MORE Web site, www.ohioprojectmore.com. Student participants receive one-on-one reading mentoring four times per week for 30 minutes.

According to the Web site, Project MORE has partnerships with 140 Ohio schools. The cost for operating a Project MORE school is approximately $1-2 per mentor hour for veteran schools and $4-5 per mentor hour for newly established schools.

Funding for Project MORE comes to the Jonathan Alder Local School District through a state-issued grant in coordination with the Putnam County Education Service Center and the Ohio Council for the Education of Children with Disabilities. Bowling Green State University conducts the independent program evaluations.

For more information on Project MORE, visit www.ohioprojectmore.com.

Sarah Thompson can be reached at (740) 852-1616, ext. 14 or by e-mail at news4@madison-press.com.