by Omesha Spence 06.FEB.09

The importance of reading will be carved into the young minds of the children of the Kingstown Anglican School (KAS), as emphasized at the Opening ceremony of the school’s Literacy Month.{{more}}

The ceremony, which took place at the St. George’s Cathedral on Monday, February 2, 2009, marked the beginning of a month of activities under the theme “Sustaining our image through Literacy, A bigger world, A better me through Literacy.”

Giving brief remarks at the ceremony, Literacy Coordinator Jacqueline London spoke about the importance of reading to a child’s development as the world advances technologically. “ In order to survive in this changing world, boys and girls, you are to read more,’ She said. London also said that for reading to be effective, it must start in the early stages, and that the process of reading includes all areas of the language arts.

“Literacy is a vital tool so that you students can master every area of the curriculum,” she said. London also stressed the importance of sustaining a good image of literacy by making children habitual readers. “We at the Kingstown Anglican School want to make our children better readers, and by making our children better we will be able to sustain our image,” she said.

Curriculum Support Officer in the area of Literacy in the Ministry of Education Hannah Browne also had some words of wisdom for the children.

Browne, who commended the school on successfully starting its literacy month, said that literacy could avoid a life of crime. “Because they cannot read, they turn to crime and violence, and these are the things we want to stop in our society,” Browne said.

She also called for teamwork among parents and teachers in order to make a more literate youth possible. She urged teachers to do all they can to assist the children in developing good reading habits and encouraged the parents to read along with children at home as well.

The Kingstown Anglican School Literacy Month runs from February 2, 2009, to February 27, 2009. The event, which includes all Grades from Grade K to Grade 6, features activities such as arts and craft, Reading and Spelling Competitions and a Public Speaking competiton among the Grade 5 and 6 classes.