Medford, Ore. — A ground breaking reading program celebrated its anniversary on Tuesday. It’s called “Start Making A Reader Today” – also known as the SMART program. It marked its 25-year anniversary at Washington Elementary School on Tuesday and Senator Ron Wyden paid a visit to the school.
The “SMART” program was created to help students – kindergarten to second grade with reading. Over the past 25 years, dozens of volunteers have helped with the program, reading to students. Today, they celebrate the next “SMART” generations to come.
Being a US senator for the state of Oregon can fill your day with paperwork and meetings. But sometimes, there’s something special on the docket. For Ron Wyden, that something special is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the SMART program.
It was an appearance worth his while.
“There are a lot of things i get to do in my job and in Washington DC, but nothing inspires me more than a connection with kids and in particularly reading,” Senator Wyden said.
For the past 25 years SMART has brought in 20 to 25 volunteers each year to read with students. Senator Wyden said it’s because of them the program has been so successful.
“We can write laws by the crate full. but at the end of the day, getting kids excited means having volunteers that are willing to go that extra mile,” Senator Wyden said.
An extra mile that the senator and the principal of Washington Elementary can agree on.
“It takes a village to raise a child. and smart, the smart program is one part of that village,” Sallie Johnson said, principal of Washington Elementary.
Each student in the smart program gets one book read to them a week, adding around 20 to 30 extra minutes of reading to their benefit. Washington Elementary said it’s one of the first to bring the “SMART” programs to kids. Senator Wyden also gave students books to take home.
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