Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/85591
SWEA wants Wyoming to raise readers Student Wyoming Education President Meagan Ross Constitution Day at the Capitol People "Ring in" September 17, 2012, marked the 225th the University of Wyoming campus for Raising Readers in Wyoming. Local businesses donated gift baskets to be raffled off as part of the fundraiser. The SWEA raised a total of $175 for the early literacy program. coordinated a fundraising event on of the signing of the United States Constitution and a celebration of that awe-inspiring occasion was held at the Capitol in Cheyenne. This also marked the statewide celebration of a project that began about a year ago - the Cheyenne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) started out with a goal to provide all Cheyenne 5th pocket Constitution. Raising Readers in Wyoming encourages parents to read to their young children by providing new books as part of their well child health care visits. Raising Readers operates in all 23 counties in Wyoming, and has donated over 240,000 books. Literacy starts well before a child reaches school age, so reading to babies is just a small part of building knowledge of language and literacy. Results of a 2006 study conducted by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center indicate that Raising Readers in Wyoming is consistently meeting its goals for improving early childhood literacy, and the program is helping parents throughout the state to read to their young children more often. For more information on Raising Readers in Wyoming, check out: www.raisingreadersinwyoming.org graders with pocket Constitutions. The support for the project grew exponentially, which resulted in the DAR receiving enough funding to provide every 5th anniversary grader across the state of Wyoming with a At the Capitol ceremony, Governor Mead said he was very supportive and enthusiastic about the DAR project. He also gave some personal thoughts on the Constitution, saying the document is "rich in meaning, yet eloquent in its simplicity." Hannah Harris, a senior at Cheyenne Central High School, helped with the project and recited the Constitution's Preamble. She had won fourth place at the National "We the People" program competition earlier this year. Newly-retired, former WEA member Nate Breen was Hannah's "We the People" teacher at Central High School. The "We the People" program promotes civic competence and responsibility among the nation's upper elementary, junior high school, and high school students. The simulated congressional hearing provides students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles. The Governor and First Lady, as well as other dignitaries, spoke at the news conference. The event ended with the singing of "God Bless America," and students and attendees rang bells on the Capitol steps. Hannah Harris, a Central High School senior, recites the Preamble of the Constitution BACK TO SCHOOL 2012 | wyoea.org 27