District receives grant for reading project

In all likelihood, students caught writing in their books are chastised at best and forced to pay for the text at worst.

However, at Perry Schools, a special project has gone beyond the normal circumstances and etiquette of school property defacement.

With “Graffiti Books,” not only are students allowed to annotate high-interest books, they’re encouraged to do so.

The project is the creation of Perry High School teacher Rachele Mielke and Media Specialist Jodi Rzeszotarski.

Students share views, react and draw on the pages in efforts to create a discussion and a social experience focusing on reading.

“I want them to create a written conversation, while reading, that the next reader will also take part in,” Mielke said. “The idea is that a student

will write all over the book and the next reader will continue the conversation by reacting to what the first reader wrote, adding their own thoughts and information.”

Benefitting from a $3,000 grant from the Cleveland-based Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, Mielke and Rzeszotarski are creating a library of about 300 highinterest books. Designated “Graffiti Books,” the works aim to draw the attention of reluctant readers.

The concept for “Graffiti Books” stems from the 15-20 minutes of daily independent reading time at the start of each of Mielke’s classes, according to a Perry Schools news release. “This project will make the process of reading their Independent Reading books discussionbased, too, turning it into a social experience as students ‘discuss’ what they read within the pages of their book,” Rzeszotarski said. “These books will be written in multiple times and then retired (as books to write in), but still offer the opportunity for students to read a text that is full of comments from past readers.”

“Graffiti Books” also aim to inspire Perry students to learn from others while also learning about the book and the world around them. Colored pens allow names to be written so students can identify who has made specific comments.

The project also has a community-engaged component.

“We’ve purchased 20 copies each of four titles that we plan to invite teachers and those in the community to read and mark up,” Mielke said. “We believe that when we connect students, teachers and the community, we can create an environment that celebrates books and reading.”

SUBMITTED Perry High School seniors, Ryanne Locker, left, and Whitney Davidson unpack and arrange a new shipment of “Graffiti Books” to display in the PHS media center.