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Wyomissing elementary hosts author visit; WAIF grant funded books and workshops
Summary
West Reading Elementary held a "One Book, One School" author visit May 7 featuring author Dana Krameroth; the event included a large assembly, six breakout workshops and grade-level writers' sessions, funded by an approximately $5,000 WAIF grant that paid for author fees and paperback copies for students.
West Reading Elementary Center hosted a full-day "One Book, One School" author visit on May 7, district presenter Dr. Babb told the Wyomissing Area School District board at its May 18 meeting.
Dr. Babb said author Dana Krameroth led a fifth- and sixth-grade assembly and ran six sessions across the school day: three student workshops and two grade-level writers' workshops. The program was intentionally tied to the district's SEL and character-education goals; themes the presenter highlighted included belonging, trust and kindness.
"We wrote a grant, to afford to bring the author in as well as to buy purchase the paperback copies of the novel, for our students," Dr. Babb said, adding the award was "approximately $5,000." The district used the funds to purchase paperback copies so students would each have a copy to take home and to support workshop activities.
Students and teachers described the visit as engaging. One student representative said, "I liked it." Dr. Babb recounted interactive activities such as a "step into the circle" belonging exercise and grade-level writing prompts that asked students to write about what makes them different or how characters in the book demonstrated community traits.
Why it mattered The author visit was scheduled as a school-year capstone as spring standardized testing concluded. Dr. Babb said the program replaced a historical dodgeball event with an academic activity that reinforced SEL lessons and offered students choice in their breakout sessions. The visit also tied into other WAIF-funded activities, including indoor gardens transplanted to playground planters.
What the transcript shows and what is not detailed The transcript identifies the author, the program structure, and the grant funding amount (approx. $5,000). It does not provide the full grant agreement, vendor invoices, or the WAIF grant award document in the excerpt; those would be needed to verify exact grant terms.
Next steps Dr. Babb suggested the district may consider repeating the author visit every other year or expanding visits to other schools; no formal board action was taken on program expansion during the meeting.
