ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, August 13, 1996 TAG: 9608130054
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Class Notes
SOURCE: HALE SHEIKERZ
The Woman's Club of Radford initiated the Reading is Fundamental program at McHarg Elementary School during the 1995-96 school year. The national program promotes literacy and reading among school children. The children can choose and keep books that interest them. The Woman's Club established the program at McHarg after receiving permission from the national organization to obtain financing from local corporations and fund-raising events.
New River Industries in Radford is the first corporate sponsor for the Woman's Club program. New River Industries provided half of the $1,200 needed to start the local effort; the Woman's Club funded the rest.
During the 1995-96 school year, New River Industries adopted the entire second-grade class, which included 117 children. Third-graders also participated in the program. All children received free books three times a year. Books were ordered from a variety of publishers and included a host of subjects.
The Woman's Club has obtained enough funding to include more children in the program during the 1996-97 school year. Following are some quotes from students at McHarg who participated in the program:
"I like RIF because it encourages me to read. It was fun to choose a book that I liked and that was interesting," - Whitney Hall.
"I like RIF because you are letting us pick out books and we read the books that we pick out. We will get smart reading the books and we will learn new words. Thank you for buying the books," - Sarah Kennedy.
"I like RIF because you get free books, and they make you read. I like it a whole lot cause I like to read a lot. I like my book called 'Nine True Dolphin Stories'," - Bethany Pack.
Six students were inducted into the National French Honor Society at Blacksburg High School last spring. Students and parents attended a Sunday brunch ceremony at Anchy's Restaurant for the induction. Steven Chiang, an instructor of French at Virginia Tech, was the guest speaker. The students are: Yara Beex, Paul Caldwell, Bear Carlyle, Anne Finley, Kyung Min Lee, and Jennifer Smith.
To be inducted into the society, students must have an A average in French after two years of study. Each student also must maintain an overall B average in all academic subjects.|
Tony Murray, a senior at Blacksburg High School, attended a field ecology program at Lebanon Valley College's Youth Scholars Institute in June. The program exposes high school students to college life, from studying and dorm living to dining at the cafeteria.
Murray is a member of the Forensics Club and International Club at Blacksburg High. He placed ninth at the Wake Forest Early Bird Invitational forensics competition last year. He is the son of Lynda B. Murray of Blacksburg.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
The Christiansburg High School Athletic Foundation is seeking donations for continued improvements to the athletic complex. For a $25 donation, CHS supporters will receive a parking pass for reserved parking during all home football games. For each additional $25, supporters will receive one free ticket and one reserved seat at home games.
Donations should be made payable to CHS Athletic Foundation, 1200 Independence Blvd., Christiansburg, VA 24073. Parking passes and admission tickets will be mailed or they can be picked from the main office at the school.
There will be a free SAT seminar Aug. 27 at Blacksburg High School for all interested students. The seminar is sponsored by Kaplan Educational Center. The program will include information about the format of the SATs, strategies for getting the right answer, financial aid and how the SAT fits into the college admission process. Students also will be able to practice different question types and receive tips and test-taking strategies. To reserve a seat, call (800) 527-8378.
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Murrayby CNB