by Carolyn Giffin
Parent Center Coordinator, Kearns Jr. High
On November 13, the Kearns Jr. High School gymnasium was alive with the sound of laughing, cheering, and lots of chatter about the fun time that was had at the annual Kearns Jr. High School Family Literacy Night! This night has become a school tradition that continues to capture the support of our patrons. Each year, all of our language arts teachers come together and sponsor an activity supporting literacy skills that will hopefully become a part of each family’s daily life.
As each patron arrived, they received a “punch card” that had the names of each activity being presented that evening. After they completed each activity, their card was marked off–with the goal of completing at least twelve out of nineteen activities! Doing so qualified them for a chance at winning prizes as well as a coupon for dinner!
Some of the fun activities were karaoke, making your own bookmark, meeting a local author, or playing “Boggle,” just to name a few. We had several outside agencies that also sponsored booths such as: Book Talk, with Salt Lake County Library; Flu Shots with Community Nursing Services; Washington Federal Bank, Utah Health Policy Project with information about the Affordable Care Act; College and Career Planning, and UESP Educational Savings Program. The presence of these agencies definitely helped raise awareness for our patrons and the great services that can help individuals and families here at our community school.
There were a record number of 545 attendees that evening! The support was amazing, but even more importantly, the comments made by families and individuals about how much they learned, how much fun they had together, and the memories that were created, was the most satisfying outcome ever!
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