As a new club, the Reading Student Advisory Team (R-SAT) works its hardest in order to help promote and improve literacy in NHS.

Specifically, the club introduced four innovative  means of promoting literacy within NHS.  

The school district has been pushing schools to promote literacy and increase student rates. The average literacy rate should be at 80 percent, however, in fall of the 2014-’15 school year the rates for freshmen were 61 percent and sophomores were at 62 percent, according to Principal Brian Wunderlich. The rates continued to drop in December to a combined score of 60 percent, according to Amanda DeVries, special education teacher. The fall rates of the 2015-’16 school year shows the freshman and sophomore class rates stayed at 60 percent over the summer. While this may appear badly, the “summer slide,” as Melissa Binsfeld, reading coach, calls the literacy rate drop over the summer did not occur.

The idea for R-SAT came to  Binsfeld and DeVries after meeting throughout the course of the year as Binsfeld observed DeVries’ reading classes, and they worked together with structure for the reader’s workshop model. They both asked each other how they could get kids excited about literacy, and the answer appeared obvious to them. “The best way to do that was to find a way to give students a voice,” DeVries said. The hardest obstacles that the duo had to overcome was the rules and regulations put into place to start up a club. They had to learn when approval needed to happen for ideas, who to go to for funding, and other “red tape stuff.”

R-SAT began as a simple idea, but in April it became a reality when the first meeting started after school in the Lit Lounge. The turnout surprised Binsfeld and DeVries, but what surprised them more was the passion within the students. “The quality of students who have chosen to become members of R-SAT, it’s amazing to see the passion that students come with and the ideas that they bring,” commented DeVries. The ideas did not start out small either. Right away the idea for a summer reading program, a scholarship, and putting out more Galaxy Libraries were brought up. R-SAT advisers and members pushed themselves within the short amount of time they had to get money, promotions, prizes, and ways to get kids signed up.

During the summer R-SAT held its first annual summer reading program for NHS. A total of 28 students participated throughout the summer, out of the 97 that initially signed up, by taking pictures of their book covers and using #NeenahReads on Twitter or Facebook, according to Binsfeld. DeVries saw numerous John Green books, some of which include An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Each student read anywhere from one to 35 books individually, and overall 197 books were recorded by the students in the competition.  The winners won an iPad mini (sophomore Katie Fieldhack), a gift basket (sophomore Erin Schubin), and a reserved parking spot  (Mady Anderson) with personalized sign. It is anticipated that the summer reading program will continue to be an annual event with prizes for winners.  

This year is also the first year that R-SAT will give out a scholarship to a senior that exemplifies a love for literacy and the dedication to promoting literacy, according to DeVries. The scholarship began with Alyx Prieto, senior, and Maddie Terlap, senior, talking one day about their ideas for R-SAT and realized they had similar ideas for a scholarship. “I believed in creating this scholarship because it does not follow the normal scholarships that are offered to students,” Prieto said. This scholarship is for anyone-despite academic standing- who is passionate about literacy. One requirement, along with a passion for reading, is a well-organized essay. Terlap and Prieto had two meetings with Wunderlich, and in the second interview he offered $500 in seed money after becoming inspired by what Terlap and Prieto were doing. Mrs. Marcy Bauman, guidance counselor, and Mr. Jon Joch, Director of Revenue Enhancements, have also aided in setting up the scholarship. At the senior banquet in December, the scholarship will be announced along with others, with the deadline to apply in March. The name of the scholarship has yet to be released, confirmed Prieto.

R-SAT has discussed upcoming events for the school year some of which include a book club and a spring event. The book club is connected through the Neenah Public Library where “Kids cannot only come together in choosing literature they are excited about, but also just enjoy good writing together,” DeVries said. So far plans for the book club are just in the preliminary stages, however, the meetings would most likely be every third or fourth week of a month. The spring event has two potential opportunities: a trivia event or a battle of the books. Both try to engage students in fun events connected to literacy.

DeVries and  Binsfeld encourage participation in the R-SAT monthly meetings to discuss future plans, share new ideas and become part of the planning. The club meets in the Lit Lounge in the library on Thursdays. Dec. 10 at 7:15 a.m. is the next meeting.