Highland Park reading buddies and Charles Kelley STEM club spotlighted in student and principal presentations

Highland Park Elementary Principal Joanne DeVito and Charles Kelley Elementary Principal Dina Williams presented short videos and remarks on Feb. 11 highlighting two student programs: a districtwide fifth-grade reading buddies program at Highland Park and a new after-school STEM club at Charles Kelley.

Joanne DeVito said Highland Park’s program pairs every fifth grader with a first grader for monthly reading and craft activities to build relationships and boost early reading skills. DeVito said teachers provided pairing suggestions to match shy students with more outgoing peers and to consider students who are English language learners. She said the program has included reading, math-related crafts and holiday gift exchanges and that staff intend to run the program annually.

Charles Kelley Principal Dina Williams and assistant principal Cynthia Mallord described an optional after-school STEM club led by volunteer teacher Shannon McAllister. The club has students using online coding tools, building with LEGO sets and testing motion and balance concepts through design challenges. A presenter said the signup was offered to fourth graders and that roughly 60 students were invited; students described hands-on activities, collaboration expectations and strategies for managing frustration during challenges.

Student representatives Tasneen Yasmin and Timothy Bijou reported on school visits to Highland Park and other elementary schools, saying Highland Park serves a diverse community of nearly 800 students with about 160 first graders. The students praised classroom organization, library activities and staff engagement and noted challenges such as dismissal traffic flow.

Administrators and the board thanked staff and students for the presentations. The items were informational; no board action was required.