Reading Festival Takes Kids Around the World
Photo/Lauren Walser
The children gathered in Founder’s Park Sept. 23, rotating among five tables set up to represent different geographic regions, including Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. An additional table was set up with hands-on quilting and crafts projects.
The festival was a joint collaboration of the USC ReadersPlus program and Project Books and Blankies, a literacy organization founded by sophomore mechanical engineering major Robyn Strumpf at the age of 12.
Strumpf, an avid quilter, incorporated her hobby into the program as a way to inspire students to use their creativity while developing math and reading skills.
Volunteers from the ReadersPlus program were stationed at each table to read books from the region and guide the children through different reading-related activities. Each table was decorated with a storyboard full of pictures, maps and information about the region.
Making their way from one table to another, the youngsters answered trivia questions about the regions on passports they carried, designed by ReadersPlus volunteers. Prizes were awarded to children who answered all the questions correctly.
The first 85 participants left the event with a new backpack, and each left with an armful of books, including a hardback version of “My First Atlas,” courtesy of DK Publishing. Nearly everything at the festival was donated, Strumpf said. In addition to DK Publishing, she gathered donations from Nestle, Office Depot and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.
Strumpf said she would like to make this an annual event.
“The festival was a tremendous success,” she said. “It was wonderful working with all of the committed volunteers connected with both the USC ReadersPlus Program and Project Books and Blankies. I really believe we made a difference.”
Latest stories
- USC Price School Celebrates Naming Gift February 9, 2012 2:45 PM
- George Will Shares His Perspective on Politics February 9, 2012 1:10 PM
- Life on the Rez February 9, 2012 12:10 PM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries
