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Cereal and Stories

A Breakfast Reading Club Fills Minds and Tummies

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—For a group of William Tyson Elementary School students, the school day begins well before the first bell rings. With sleep still in their eyes, they congregate in one of the school’s empty classrooms for a “breakfast club” that provides food for the mind as well as the stomach.

Each morning, a volunteer from First Alaskans Institute, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving the lives of Alaska Natives, arrives for story time. As the kids dig in to their orange juice, Fruit Loops, graham crackers and milk from the cafeteria, the volunteer launches into a book especially chosen to reflect the diverse backgrounds of the students.

Today, George Irvin, First Alaskans’ Director of Special Projects, is on hand for his once-a-week visit. As he reads A Mom Like No Other, he pauses to draw in his young audience. “What’s your favorite food?” he asks one eight-year-old. The little girl in the story favors Chinese, but the student says she’s a big fan of macaroni. Other kids chime in with their top picks, including akutuq (Eskimo ice cream).

First Alaskans chose to partner with Tyson Elementary because of its large Alaska Native population and because Tyson’s scores on state reading tests did not equal those of other Anchorage schools. Nine First Alaskans staff members participate in the club, along with other community members who may volunteer once a week or once a month. The volunteers don’t receive special training but are encouraged to engage children in the reading and to select age-appropriate, multicultural stories.

“The kids enjoy it,” says Irvin, who usually has between six and nine children around the table. “John Kito [Tyson’s principal] thinks there’s been a moderate increase in reading skills, which he attributes to the program and to the fact that we involve the children in discussion, rather than just doing robot reading. But the most marked difference is in the kids’ attitudes: they seem more alert and content as a result of those first 20 minutes of reading. When they connect the words on the page to the story, they gain a sense of achievement that can help throughout the day.”

Irvin remembers one child who was so fond of a storybook, that he bought the boy his own copy. “He couldn’t believe it was actually for him and asked me if he could write his name in the front of it. A bit later, as I stood beside him while we recited the Pledge of Allegiance, I felt a tug on my sleeve. He was holding up a graham cracker and asked if I wanted one. It was all he had, and he wanted to give me something in return,” says Irvin. “Best graham cracker I ever ate.”

As it turns out, Irvin gets plenty of rewards from volunteering. “First there’s the fun of being here with the kids,” he says. “Second, it gives me a personal connection with the issues I work on every day in the office. First Alaskans does a lot of research, instruction, and advocacy, but these children keep me in touch with real life in the Native community.”

Plus, there’s a steady source of graham crackers!

First Alaskans actively encourages other businesses and organizations to get involved in the breakfast club or to start their own programs in other schools. But, they warn that if you commit yourself, you must show up consistently and on time “because they kids are depending on you.” For more information about the First Alaskans Institute and its initiatives, check out www.firstalaskans.org