Student read-alouds tell a story of kindness at Watertown High School
Class of 2022 engages younger students with community service project
Raider Times photo / Emma Fallon
A screenshot captures Leah D’Amico, a Watertown High School junior, reading aloud “The Magic Bunny” by Sam McBratney.
June 9, 2020
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Watertown High Class of 2022 has provided some relief for the parents and children of the community. Student read-alouds were created for kids of Watertown, and the initiative was headed by class president Emma Fallon, class treasurer Carly MacCormack, and the rest of the 2022 officers.
“The student read-alouds gave high school students the opportunity to get community service by recording a video of themselves reading a children’s book of their choice. Once they submitted their video it would be posted on the website we created for the Watertown community to enjoy,” Emma explained.
For every two videos a student records, they receive one hour of community service. The class officers describe it as an easy way for students to complete their hours and bring joy to the faces of young children.
When asked what inspired her to create the student read-alouds, Carly replied, “The Class of 2022 officers wanted to think of a way to bring the community together and we were all brainstorming ideas and I thought the student read-alouds were a way to bring multiple grades together.”
The read-alouds have been a huge success. The website has received upwards of 600 visits through the end of May, with the majority of viewers returning to watch more. more than 100 videos have been submitted by multiple students of each grade level at WHS.
Theresa Cabral, a sophomore at WHS, said that her reason for submitting videos was to take the workload off the parents. Theresa explained, “I submitted videos to the student read-aloud section because I know how much I loved reading when I was younger. It’s hard for parents to do everything and become a part-time teacher.
“The read-alouds allow parents to have five minutes to just breathe and so the kids could see other faces besides their household members. I also miss kids and being able to send in videos so kids can get to listen to them makes me feel good!”
For further information and updates, check out the WHS Student Read-Alouds website.
–June 9, 2020–
