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Today a Reader. Tomorrow a Leader.
July 24, 2015

When you walk through the halls at City Academy during our summer program, you may expect to see children creating art projects, running on the playground, and playing in the gym. What you may not expect to find are students in every class, ages 4 to 6th grade, reading books and writing stories. From reading in the Book Nook in the library to receiving books from Bring Me A Book St. Louis, literacy remains the foundation of our curriculum even in the summer.

Reading at City Academy takes on various forms as students often read individually, in small groups, or as a class. Rising 5th graders – Kyleigh, Imani, and Michael – have been reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire together in our summer program. When asked about their favorite books and other works they’ve read this summer, they could talk for hours!

“I’ve read about 15 books this summer,” says Kyleigh. “Some of my favorite books are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Lord of the Rings.”

“I also like Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” echoes Imani. “I love reading books in a series. I’ve read about six series this summer and each series has at least 5 books.”

While Michael enjoys many of the same books as Kyleigh and Imani, he is partial to nonfiction books. “The Who Was? books are my favorite,” Michael says. “I’ve read about Elvis Presley, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Harry Houdini. My favorite book of the series was Harry Houdini because I love magic.”

Reading and writing empowers students to be thinkers, creators, and leaders. By creating a culture at City Academy that is devoted to reading, we encourage students to develop a love for books and become life-long readers. Kyleigh, Imani, and Michael are certainly on the right track to being readers for the rest of their lives!