Westcoast Connection Volunteers with RTMI

July 7th through 9th, 18 teens and three supervisors with Westcoast Connections 360 Travel Program partnered with Read To Me International to put on storybook performances of four picture books: The Mightiest by Keiko Kasza, The Frog Prince, Continued by Jon Sczieska, The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland, and Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman.

 They held seven performances altogether at Waikiki Community Center, Angels at Play Preschool, and UH-Manoa Childcare Center. After the performances, they did one-on-one read alouds with the keiki; they also got a special read aloud for themselves at Waikiki Community Center, where one of the teachers shared her rendition of the local (and preschool children's) favorite, The Musubi Man: Hawaii's Gingerbread Man by Sandi Takayama.

Prior to the performances, the group spent a day and a half creating props, settings and costumes on a shoestring budget; performance coaching; and dress rehearsals, led by Stephanie Conching, soon-to-be Maryknoll third-grade teacher (who just transferred from teaching performing arts at Maryknoll High School).

Read To Me was a great experience because I felt like I really connected with the kids by doing so much. We really made a difference. Performing the plays really made the kids happy and showed them how fun reading really is. I feel that reading to them individually and in smaller groups really made a difference because rather than being in a classroom full of people they were given individual attention. This allowed them to appreciate reading from a different perspective. Now when the kids that we read to are bored at home they might pick up a book and read.