By Claudine Housen, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE NEW Year should bring fresh prospects to the slower learners at the Herbert Morrison Technical High School, who are poised to benefit from the newly constructed Reading Laboratory that was built to the tune of $1.1 million.
The brainchild of Lorna Crooks who now serves in the capacity of literacy coordinator at the institution, the idea for reading laboratory came when she was studying for her Master's degree in reading and language arts.
"I had to do a survey on the
students' reading ability and how it impacted on their school performance," Ms. Crooks explained. "It was during this observational period that I found out that students were reading below their grade levels. I became curious, and during the diagnostic course, I took the opportunity to assess some of the students."
Having gathered her results, Ms. Crooks then armed herself with a proposal and proceeded to bring her findings to the attention of the school's Principal, Paul Adams, who gave her clearance to pursue the project.
"I did the proposal in June and I got a response in October. By the end of November, all the things were in place," she said. "We got over $120, 000 from the Parents Teacher's Association and we got over $750, 000 from Environmental Foundation of Jamaica. The school put in the infrastructure for example the electrical work, and the art department painted the mural."
Proud that the school is making a bold step in the right direction, principal Adams applauded the efforts of Ms. Crooks and the sponsors but hastened to add that the school had no intention of giving up on its fight against illiteracy.
"We want to employ a reading specialist along with Ms. Crooks who will be going through all the grades to assess the students," he said. "Our ultimate goal is to have
at the end of Grade 11, all students sitting the CXC English."
Students who are found to be reading below their level will be taken out of formal class and given special attention in the reading laboratory.
