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CMS looks for volunteers for literary mentoring program

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the first day of school approaches for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the district continues to put a strong focus on literacy as students continue to get low scores on state reading tests.

Eyewitness News anchor Stephanie Maxwell found that the district is expanding a reading mentoring program this upcoming school year to get students on the right track.

Seven-year-old Mackenzy ended first grade exceeding her grade level in reading and is counting down to her first day of second grade. Her mom, Rasheda Sanders, said she had a rough start.

“When she got her first progress report and when they did the initial assessment she was a little behind,” Sanders said.

Last year, Schools Superintendent Ann Clark kicked off a mentoring program to tackle literacy called the North Star Reading Partners.  It paired third, seventh and 12th grade students with mentors from the community to help them with their reading for an hour at least one day a week.

“These students need additional support who are part of the North Star, and we don't want them to slide academically in reading,” CMS principal in-residence Ivy Gill said.

This year North Star is adding fourth graders and eighth graders to the program so that last year's mentors can keep working with their students.

“People have built wonderful relationships with students and we don't want to break that bond,” Gill said.

Now, that means CMS needs many more volunteers, like Sanders, who mentored at Reid Park Academy.

“Some of the kids, we just had to work on identifying letters and sounds,” Sanders said.

CMS is in need of at least 5,000 volunteers for North Star Reading Partners.