EXPANDING YOUNG MINDS
By Kimberly Cruz
Most of us only correlate Valentine’s Day with the month of February, but did you know that February is also National Library Lover’s Month? It is!
Here at HIS we are privileged to have a robust library full of books for all grade levels to encourage our students to expand their imaginations and excel in reading. The Bible says that to “be transformed” we must renew our minds. Reading is one of the best ways to do that!
Two of our sixth graders, Ryder and Tyler, are already well on their way having read over 1 million words during our first semester alone! This is exciting as this semester, we introduced a read-a-thon that took place from February 15th through March 1st in honor of National Library Lover’s Month.
We are equally excited to share that Kitty Simmons, a major supporter of our library and literacy efforts, gifted a $3,000 matching fund during the event! We are equally excited to share that Kitty Simmons, a special friend of HIS and major supporter of our library and literacy efforts, made a challenge gift of $3,000 for the read-a-thon. In other words, she matched up to $3,000 in sponsorship gifts for students to read books!
Kitty dedicated 43 years to the La Sierra University Library as Librarian and Library Director, and she understands how crucial books and reading are to the success of students. We are so thankful for her support and involvement in helping us raise awareness and funds for this important work on our campus.
It is always a pleasure to watch our students reach for and achieve their goals. For Tyler, it began last school year when he asked his dad, our farm assistant Mr. Wagner, if they could go to the library so that he could catch up on his reading. As a HIS staff member and a father, Mr. Wagner cares very much about the success of his children, so he was happy to comply. It has since become a nightly family routine.
We are very grateful that we have the opportunity to encourage our young readers to expand their minds with knowledge through various literature. Watching their facial expressions change as they read the content within is a blessing, and we’re especially joyful that Eli the Eagle joined in the reading fun, too!
