WEST OCEAN CITY – Local children got a jump start on their summer reading this week thanks to backpacks distributed through the McGuffey Bookworm Club.
Ocean City Elementary first-grade students are pictured receiving their backpacks with books through the McGuffey Bookworm Club.
Students in first-, second- and third-grade at six of Worcester County’s elementary schools each received a backpack and three books to read during summer vacation. The books were provided through the McGuffey Bookworm Club, a nationwide program administered locally by the Worcester County Commission for Women and Friends of the Worcester County Commission for Women.
“The program is so popular it was an answer on ‘Jeopardy’ one night,” said Ruth Anne Graninger, a member of Friends of the Worcester County Commission for Women. “It’s to encourage children to read over the summer.”
On Monday, more than 350 children at Ocean City Elementary School lined up excitedly to meet Graninger and more than a dozen volunteers who were distributing the backpacks, which were labeled with each child’s name. After collecting their backpacks, they sat down for a brief lesson on water safety from the Ocean City Beach Patrol (OCBP).
“The lighter the color of your skin the higher the number on your sunscreen should be,” said OCBP Lieutenant Ward Kovacs.
He and OCBP’s Liz VanderClute talked about the importance of listening to lifeguards and safety precautions to consider during a trip to the beach.
OCBP Crew Chief Liz Vander Clute recites the McGuffey pledge with students. Photos by Charlene Sharpe
After the brief beach safety message, Vander Clute led the children in reciting the McGuffey pledge, which stresses the importance of reading and sharing books.
The Worcester County Commission for Women has been bringing the McGuffey Bookworm program to local schools for at least a decade, according to Graninger. Though this year’s program was only offered to first-, second- and third-graders, in the past it’s been done with fourth-graders as well. Graninger said the size of the program depended on the amount of funding raised.
“It does not cost the school anything,” she said.
She added that the 1,500 backpacks were filled with books by inmates at the Worcester County Jail before they were distributed by volunteers at area schools. Graninger said the program was only possible through the efforts of those volunteers, all of whom were eager to participate.
“We’re thrilled to be able to do it,” Graninger said.
