The Big Read activities abound in Blount and Knox counties, and the initiative will continue in the community through Oct. 15. Please scroll through the photographs.

If you didn’t get down to Last Friday Art Walk this past weekend (Sept. 25), you missed a wonderful reading by the Alcoa High School students of English teacher Kelly Wallace. Not only did the students read selections from the book, but they also offered some interpretation of different aspects of the book based on their classroom discussions.

Alcoa High School English teacher Kelly Wallace explains some of the book’s themes and how the students are grouped. Wallace said out of 42 students, 40 students loved the book, and that she plans to use it for future classes.

While AHS students were reading, Spanish III students from Maryville High School Spanish teacher Deb Lamine’s class worked with younger children to create Hispanic crafts including worry dolls made from clothes pins. The children had a great time as evidenced by rounds of giggling.

Alcoa High School senior Taylor Crosby, a member of the school’s tech team, videotaped the entire event to be shown on Alcoa School System’s Channel 3, Charter Communictions. Thanks Taylor!

Check back soon for additional photos of The Big Read activities.

It’s not too late to participate in The Big Read events in Blount and Knox counties. The book selected this year is Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Blount County’s events are listed in this press release The Big Read 2009, and you can find a listing for Knox County events at http://knoxrooms.sirsi.net/rooms/portal/page/10098_The_Big_Read. What better way to encourage our children to read then to let them see how much we enjoy it.

The Tennessee Department of Education has instituted tougher new state standards to make sure our students are better prepared to face the world as young adults after high school. Our changing status from regional community to global society and the economic impact that has on our lives makes it imperative to provide the best educational opportunities for our children. For more information, check out the state’s recent newsletter “Back to School” that describes job and earning potential for students based on their education levels.  Back To School Newsletter

Showing our kids it is important to read for pleasure, simply means picking up a book of your choice and taking time to read. Reading for pleasure is not only a great escape, but it also helps students become stronger readers, which in turn helps them improve their academic pursuits and score higher on tests. The National Endowment for the Arts understands this very well and several years ago created The Big Read as an initiative to spread this message across communities. Blount Education Initiative along with its local community partners, Blount County Public Library, Alcoa City Schools, Maryville City Schools, Blount County Schools and Maryville College worked together to orchestra several events for the Blount community. These organizations partnered with the YWCA Knoxville and the Knox County Public Library, both of which offered support that made the Blount County events possible.  For more information, see The Big Read benefits community. Happy reading!

by Fred Forster, President and CEO of the Blount County Chamber of Commerce and a BEI Board Member

A recent article in the September 2009 issue of the U.S. Chamber Magazine indicates that we are becoming more and more aware of the importance of a good education for all our citizens. Ms. Spellings, a former U. S. Secretary of Education, gives a good summary of where we are as a nation as we continue to address increasing global competition in all areas of our lives, including education. We are making progress but have many areas where continued improvement is required if we hope to compete globally in the years ahead.

Locally, through our Blount Education Initiative, we are also making progress. Our community is collectively becoming more aware of the importance of education to our county’s economic health and to our overall quality of life. Additionally, BEI is helping everyone more clearly understand what will be required of our students as they enter the world of work. We have increased the community conversation about education and are seeing even more interest in what we are doing in our schools and how our efforts are enabling our students to be successful throughout their lives. It is important that our business leaders, our educators, our students, our parents and our community at large be engaged as we work together in the years ahead to make sure that our educational experiences and the resulting benefits are second to none.