MCS Library Media Specialist Nicole Bodner reads to district children at a recent Summer Reading event.
MADISON, NY – Library Media Specialist Nicole Bodner of the Madison Central School library was recently awarded a School Library System Mini Grant from Madison-Oneida BOCES. The honors were presented on July 1st, 2021.
The grant helps provide funding for the Madison Summer Reading program, a valuable educational program for young students residing in the Madison School District held at Madison Lake Park. In addition to the SLS Mini-Grant, the program also receives generous community support from partners at the Oriskany Falls Rotary Club, and the Hamilton Public Library.
On five Tuesdays throughout the summer, district students and their families gather in the park’s Rotary Club Pavilion for a program that includes story time, snacks, and engaging activities all designed to get the students excited about reading beyond the classroom walls, and mitigate the effects of summer learning loss.
Each week’s schedule of activities has a theme. The Tuesday, July 13th session was “Pirates and Princesses” night. The evening included a reading of “How I Became a Pirate” by David Shannon, during which pieces of a treasure map were handed out. The students combined their pieces of the map into the right order, then went on a treasure hunt around the premises.
The Tuesday, July 20th session was “Wilderness Night.” Students were treated to a reading of the book “Camp Rex”. Accompanying activities for the night included two collaborative breakout puzzle sessions using word locks, a “Leaf Rubbing” craft with members of the Oriskany Falls Rotary Club, and a special wilderness skills presentation by the Madison Cub Scouts.
Healthy snacks accompany the activities, and are often centered around the weekly theme.
Bodner organizes the full program. The program is vital not only as an extension of in-session reading, but also because the town of Madison, NY does not have its own public library to oversee any similar programming. As a result of her dedication and attention to detail, Madison-Oneida BOCES awarded an SLS grant to help the program with resources to achieve its potential.
“The Summer Reading Program at Madison would not be what it has been in the past, and present without the grant from Madison-Oneida BOCES,” Bodner said. “This grant allows for families to come together and enjoy the love of reading during the summer months when these students may or may not have widespread access to books. Working with Madison-Oneida BOCES, the Hamilton Public Library, and the Oriskany Falls Rotary club, this program has transformed back into the program it once was in the past.”
As part of the grant program, Bodner will share her work with other area professionals at a later date.
The program continues through Tuesday, August 3rd. For more information on the program, contact Mrs. Bodner directly at NBodner@MadisonCentralNY.org.