COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — Students at North Elementary School in Colonial Heights got quite a surprise when it was announced that the school had received a grant that gives every student a new book and the opportunity to open a savings account at a local bank.
The grant provides nearly 300 students and their teachers with their own copy of "Charlotte's Web" as part of a reading initiative.
"It's called Virginia Reads One Book and it's sponsored by a nonprofit, Read To Them," Joy Kolev, a reading specialist who wrote the grant, said.
Starting Monday, "Charlotte's Web" will be part of the curriculum for the next 15 days.
"The vocabulary in this book is really rich and robust and they will be exposed to a lot of words," Kolev said. "I'm hoping they don't know and they will get to learn about those words and, of course, the characters."
For first-grade teacher Gail Smith, who has been teaching in the same classroom for the past 31 years, the initiative addresses a critical need.
"I think it's extremely important," Smith said. "Just with talking a lot with students, a lot of students do not have books at home and a lot of students do not visit our local library."
First-grade teacher Rebecca Talley emphasized the importance of reading at home.
"It is so very important. My biggest thing is reading at home because we should be able to read every night," Talley said.
Students shared their enthusiasm for reading. First-grader Brinleigh said reading is fun "not if it's too easy," while 6-year-old Kaden explained that "reading teaches you how to read and it makes you smarter and there's funny books."
Kolev also partnered with C&F Bank to incorporate financial literacy into the program. The bank's logo appears inside each book, and students who bring the book to a C&F Bank location can sit down with a parent to discuss opening a child's savings account.
"I think it's so awesome we are going to be able to teach financial literacy to them at such a young age," Talley said.
Smith explained the importance of teaching savings early.
"We learn we have to save to buy things that we need and we have to take care of those needs first and then we have to save our money to buy those extra things we want," Smith said.
C&F Bank will help students who open new savings accounts by depositing the first $5. Those students will receive a 5% interest rate for balances up to $500 or for the first 15 months, teaching them how money can grow when put in a bank.
First-grader Martese appreciates both reading and math "because I can concentrate and stuff and can help you to get to second grade."
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