Geneva "Neil" Champagne Bourg
November 27, 2006
A LESSON IN EXCELLENCE
November 29, 2006
Whether it’s a summer reading program or an after-school reading club, the workers at Gibson Public Library are focusing on sparking student reading at an early age.
Charlotte Celestin, Gibson Library branch manager, started the After-School Club two years ago as a way for students to interact in the library during the school year. She wanted to give the students an opportunity to get extra help with their homework and reading after school.
She said the club is similar to the annual summer reading program hosted by the Terrebonne Parish public libraries where once a week the students have story time, crafts and games. At the After-School Club the students engage in similar activities.
The club is comprised of two sessions that meet once a month at the library. There is a 15-student maximum for the program, but the branch manager said they have never met that quota.
“The monthly sessions are comprised of the first and second graders, one Monday out of the month, and the third and fourth grade, one Wednesday out of the month,” she said. “The students meet from 3:30 to 4 p.m.”
Celestin said she would like to see the maximum amount of students show up for the club meeting. She said the students that attend meeting seem to enjoy themselves. She believes that the program has been a success over the past few years, even with its low attendance rate.
At the program, the students consistently work on homework and reading. Celestin said having the students do crafts and games is a plus her first and that her foremost mission is to spark a love for reading.
“It’s not that the student can’t read, they just don’t want to,” she said. “As educators we have to make them understand why reading is so important.”
Most of the students that attend the program from the school systems in Gibson are A and B Honor Roll students. Celestin said this club meeting is her way of giving back to the community as well as helping the teachers out with their effort to get at least one child to stick their nose in a book.
“After a while, I noticed that the students are talking about books more and they are inviting their friends to come in and read books with them,” she said.
By creating age appropriate reading activities, the branch manager said, the students can engage in different holiday and seasonal projects throughout the school year. She said last January, for Martin Luther King’s birthday, the students made dream catcher to coincide with King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
“I explained to them what a dream catcher was and they all made their own,” Celestin said. “With a little assistance, the pre-K students complete the activity as well.”
By introducing the students to new games and activities, she allows them to interact with one another. She said this promotes teamwork and increases their social skills, the basic things they will need later in life.
Celestin said this experience has not only been rewarding for the students but for her as well. She said her passion for reading has grown over the past few years.
“Before I became the branch manager, I wasn’t an avid reader,” she said, “ Now, I can’t go anywhere without a book.”
For more information on the After-School Club, contact Celestin at (985) 575-2639 or go by the Gibson Public Library, located at 6363 Bayou Black Drive.
Youngsters at Gibson Public Library’s After- School Club listen to a story read by Charlotte Celestin, branch manager. The program encourages youngsters to read for fun.
