UPDATE: (Feb. 22)
The Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings has published 30 book reviews written and submitted by students living at all of the facilities participating in “Unbound.” Of the 30 reviews published on-line, seven of them were written by students at Owensboro Day Treatment Center! Reviews are posted at ceeas.org/unbound/
The “Unbound” website features the slogan: “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”
For students for whom this is literally true, reading truly does open the doors to possibilities and potential. Owensboro Day Treatment and Owensboro Treatment Center are proud to participate in this life-changing program.
ORIGINAL POST: (Feb.5)
Students enrolled in education programs at Owensboro Day Treatment and Owensboro Treatment Center are participating in a reading initiative sponsored by The Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings.
The mission of CEEAS is to support alternative schools – in community settings and in locked facilities – and to assist in implementing “transformational, student-focused practices, designed to significantly improve the life chances of the students they serve.”
Throughout the month of February, CEEAS is sponsoring a program that supports secure-care facilities such as ODT and OTC as they encourage students to read for enjoyment outside of school hours. The initiative, titled “Unbound,” partners with Scholastic Inc. publishing company, which has provided 40 “high interest” books at no charge to the local facility. Titles include “Hunger Games,” “Touching Spirit Bear,” “Courage for Beginners,” “Hip-Hop High School,” “Any Small Goodness,” “An Island Like You” and “Divergent.”
According to the organization’s website, “CEEAS believes it is critical for students in secure facilities to explore the power of reading at every opportunity; to read for pleasure, not just for a grade; and to develop the habit of reading.”
ODT/OTC head teacher Angela Austin said the program has already been incredibly successful among her students. “Several students are reporting that they have never finished a book on their own before, but they are enjoying these new books,” she said.
As students read each book, they mark their progress on a tally board in their classrooms. Austin said students are engaged in a lively competition with one another as they see their successes documented.
The “Unbound” website features the slogan: “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” For students for whom this is literally true, reading truly does open the doors to possibilities and potential.
Owensboro Day Treatment and Owensboro Treatment Center are proud to participate in this life-changing program.
Owensboro Treatment Center serves students who are in the custody or under supervision of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Owensboro Treatment Center provides a supportive education while fulfilling its mission of promoting right motives, intelligent thoughts and rational actions within a nurturing environment with a goal of preparing students for future success.
