Sunnyside Elementary School
Kellogg, Idaho

Sunnyside Kindergarten Receives Verizon Literacy Grant
Reprinted from the June 14, 2002 Shoshone News-Press Article by Carol Roberts

The Kellogg School District has received a Verizon Literacy Grant to help some of its youngest students build a good foundation for life-long literacy.

The district recently received a $15,000 grant that supports the Children's Literacy Improvement Project.  The grant will purchase the technology and software necessary to offer intensive individual literacy instruction to the Kindergarten students at Sunnyside School.

Specifically, the grant will help buy computer hardware, the Waterford Early Reading Program software, and supporting materials and training.  The CLIP Project supports the district's goal of improving student skill levels in literacy and providing a strong basic foundation of instruction in the core curriculum area at all district elementary schools.

Sunnyside kindergarten teacher Linda Cougher was instrumental in writing and securing the grant, with the help of Sunnyside principal Steve Shepperd, Technology Coordinator Steve Knox, and KSD curriculum coordinator Bonnie Farmin.

Cougher said she is very committed to this program, and believes it really gives her students a good foundation in reading.

"I feel like this program is such a force for the children who are in the average to low bracket," she added. "They hear all the stories they haven't heard before, and they become very engaged in the program."

Cougher said the updated program will have a new component that isn't available in the current version - a head- set with a microphone.  That will allow the students to be more interactive by talking back to the computer.

She said the current hardware and software is worn out, and needs to be updated. Cougher believes the updated program will fill in pieces left out of the current program.

The grant was originally written to update this program for the entire district. However, only part of the money was funded and the grant is enough to only update the program at Sunnyside.

Fortunately, KSD found out recently that there is some entitlement money for technology through the federal government. Farmin said the district will use Title II-D money that is provided through the "No Child Left Behind" act.

Those funds will be, used to update the Waterford program at Pinehurst Elementary as well. Canyon will continue to use the current program until funds are made available to upgrade their system as well.
 

"This program does give extra help to the students, and helps them achieve the goal of  being at reading level by third grade," said Farmin.

   All the upgraded systems are set to be in place by the beginning of the school year in September.

"Verizon literacy grants support projects that establish creative, result-focused programs that improve reading and writing skills and make a positive difference in people's lives,' said Bob Wayt, Verizon external affairs manager for Oregon and Idaho.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, has awarded $42,144 in literacy grants to eight nonprofit organizations throughout North Idaho, reaffirming its commitment to improving literacy.

  Money for two of the eight grants, totaling $5,144, came directly from Idaho customers who participated in Verizon's "Check Into Literacy" program. The program enables Verizon customers to voluntarily contribute $1 per month through their phone bills to Verizon Reads, a public charity dedicated to literacy. Verizon ,redirects every dollar donated through "Check Into literacy" to literacy projects, usually in the state where the money was given.