July Storytime: Highlighting the Students

Virtual Storytime creators and facilitators Brittni Kliment, Patrice Carroll, and Katrina Fryklund could not be more pleased with the way Latham Centers’ online story hour has evolved. As our Children’s Program’s Storytime series jumped into its fourth month, student participants began asking if they could read. “We were so delighted with the students’ eagerness to get involved in something that can be intimidating even for even adults,” Katrina said. We’re happy to report that every Monday throughout July and August, a different student reads a story to their peers, learning preparation and time management, and developing their reading and leadership skills.

Students choose their book titles and lead the online session reading aloud. “Reading out loud is a tough skill, especially on Zoom – and we love having this opportunity to encourage students’ growth and leadership skills,” Katrina noted. After the readings, the students reflect on what the opportunity meant to them.

Our first student reader, Mathias, shared:

I got an invite to join storytime from Patrice, Katrina, and Brittni and from the very beginning I’ve made great friends. I’m very glad I got to read my first book and I felt honored that I was selected as the first student reader; I even helped them come up with this idea! When I was younger I started to read comic books and became REALLY good at reading, so it was really fun to read to my friends out loud using Zoom. The first time I was on Storytime I was able to introduce everyone to my dogs. In my spare time I have a job; I keep my community safe with my business, “Mathias Bail Bonds.” I love Christmas year-round, and I was able to pick a book called Memoirs of an Elf!

I’m a really funny guy, and I always tell my friends jokes, one of my favorite jokes is:

Question: “What do you call an old snowman?

Answer: “Water.”

We thank Mathias for being our first student reader, and we’re looking forward to sharing the words of our other attendees!