Dutch Broadway students are always ready to learn

It’s safe to say that most kids these days have enough on their plate. Between school work, sports practices and music lessons, there’s rarely an open minute in their day. However, 53 fifth and sixth-graders in the Dutch Broadway School’s Joy of Reading program, which wrapped up on June 7, proved otherwise.

The Joy of Reading program was introduced to the students six months ago, when they were given a list of nine questions dealing with explorers. Students then had to conduct lots of research, including in-depth reading, in order to create presentations answering those questions in regard to explorers of their choice, ranging from Christopher Columbus to Lewis and Clark.

“The children used anything from dioramas to music to help make their projects unique,” said Eileen Lambert, Dutch Broadway’s assistant principal.

Joy of Reading, an annual program, began five years ago and is presented by both the Kiwanis Club of Elmont and Municipal Credit Union on Hempstead Turnpike.

“What I find most amazing is that the kids do this on their own time, and work on the projects independently,” said Lee Greenblant, a member of the Kiwanis Club. “The children have busy lives to begin with, and because they volunteer for this, it proves how much they want to learn.”

The program awarded the top three contestants with Municipal Credit Union checks, with first-place receiving $100, second place receiving $50 and third-place receiving $25.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray was in attendance to show her support for the program. “This is really such a great chance for the children to show their interests,” she said.

The Joy of Reading Program has seen a meteoric rise in attendance, according to Steve Franjola, who is a member of both the Municipal Credit Union and the Kiwanis Club. “Five years ago we had 14 children sign up. This year, well, you can see the success of this program speaks for itself,” he said as he pointed toward the room filled with eager participants.

“The fact that more and more children participate every year instills a positive peer pressure that I think every school needs,” Murray said, adding that when students see their friends join the program, they join too.

The atmosphere was joyous, as a pizza party began in the library, and the top three projects were shown on the projection screen. The winning project was a Power Point presentation created by Rex Asabor. The second- and third-place winners were Braina Parchment and Michael Bailey, respectively. Honorable mentions went to Bryan Dupuy and Tristen Meikle.

So, what’s planned for next year?

“The questions will be dealing with the Industrial Revolution,” Franjola said. “The program grows stronger every year, and we expect an even larger turnout for 2012.”