Exxon/Mobil and Beaumont ISD have committed to strengthening students’ literacy skills through a program that connects first graders with Lamar student volunteers.
Charlton-Pollard Elementary School’s Literacy Initiative allows Lamar students to instruct first graders in key skills such as phonics, spelling and basic reading comprehension.
Jenny Angelo, BISD executive director of curriculum and instruction, said she appreciates Lamar’s willingness to invest in the school.
“Charlton-Pollard serves a community that faces significant economic challenges, making it all the more essential for schools, families and community partners to come together to provideresources, training and encouragement,” Angelo said. “This initiative allows us to do just that by strengthening parent engagement, getting high-quality books and literacy materials into homes, and involving Lamar University students as tutors and mentors.”
Chelsey Gallagher, an English/Language Arts Education major, said she hopes she can impact the first graders not only in their intellectual abilities, but also on a deeper level.
“You always have that one teacher that you never forget,” she said. “I think about my elementary and middle school years, and I can tell you at least one sentence that a teacher said that stuck with me that I still use today. I hope that maybe we could be part of those memories for those children.”
Angelo said literacy is a significant skill and early development can strengthen critical thinking and empathy, among other vital traits.
“Research consistently shows that reading for just 15–20 minutes each day has a profound effect on vocabulary, background knowledge, fluency and emotional development,” she said.”
Overuse of digital devices, often used as substitutes for adult interaction, has been linked to lower language and literacy scores and a decline in conversational skills, Angelo said.
“Through our partnership with ExxonMobil, we are directly addressing this barrier by putting books into students’ hands and fostering a culture of reading that begins at home and extends throughout the community,” she said.