Highline Team Read teen coaches and their 2nd and 3rd grade readers at Hazel Valley Elementary were excited to welcome Superintendent Susan Enfield and Chief Curriculum & Instruction Officer Cathy Thompson, when they visited the program on January 5th.

The Superintendent and Dr. Thompson were just as excited to meet the Evergreen High School Campus coaches and their students. “I’ve been a Team Read fan for a long time. I could not be more thrilled that Highline is benefiting from a partnership with Team Read. It’s a good opportunity for high school students and elementary school students to learn together,” said Dr. Enfield.

As a former principal at two of Seattle Team Read’s partner elementary schools, Dr. Thompson is always impressed with the effectiveness of the program. “What I love most about Team Read is the relationship between the students and their reading coaches. The teens motivate the students to read more, try harder and persevere.”

The pilot program at Highline Public Schools launched in October 2016 and has been a great success, thanks to the tremendous support and commitment of Hazel Valley Elementary Principal Casey Jeannot and Site Coordinator Kylen Boddie. Ms. Boddie, a classroom teacher at Hazel Valley Elementary, has dedicated her afternoons to the program four days a week, playing a critical role in supervising and managing the tutoring sessions.

In addition to the traditional Team Read materials, such as the Power Reader Journal, Highline students have also used e-readers to access reading and phonics software programs (Lexia and Raz-Kids). The pairs have really enjoyed this new addition to the program, as it offers many benefits including a wider selection of books and an easy way to track the students’ progress.

We are so thrilled to be offering our program in a new district this year, and we look forward to another successful semester of Highline Team Read!