On Thursday November 5, 2015 at approximately 8:30 am from the Education Department, the co- Director of One World School House foundation, Richard Clewes, who sponsored the Rain Forest of Reading Programme in schools, completed an island run of Nevis to gain funds for his foundation.
While running, he made stops at schools to get encouraging cheers from students and to complete his mission. The principal /teachers at the schools stamped or signed his passport; which was created to match the sample of the passport that each student received in the Rainforest of Reading Programme.
In the passports, students recorded their thoughts and opinions by answering questions related to main characters, main idea and to justify their opinion of the book they have read. There is also a reward system provided where students will get stickers of rainforest creatures in their passport. As bonus, each grade has been supplied with bags of bananagrams, a fun literacy based activity that help students become Good with Words. The bag has a collection of word tiles to create words connected to books which help to develop their vocabulary and spelling skills. There is also a class tracking progress chart featuring the books, the names of students and the progress they made in reading. The poster shows how many book each student reads.
Mr. Clewes of One World School House Foundation has given over 4oo books to our Nevis’ Primary schools for students in Grades three (3) – five (5) classes. The One World School House Foundation has also sponsored the Rainforest of Reading in Montserrat, St Lucia, Grenada and now Nevis. They hope to extend courtesies to St Kitts Primary Schools next year. The programme is to encourage the love of reading in children and engage them in higher order critical thinking.
The sixty-two year old Clewes concluded the twenty miles run around the island, just in time to witness the start of the child friendly relays in Charlestown.
Principal Education officer, Mrs. Palsy Willkin thanked the one world School house foundation and especially Mr. Clewes for the fine gesture.