AT&T Wisconsin Pioneers, Rep. Young team up in effort to help improve childhood literacy, reading scores
Golda Meir third graders hold up their dictionaries donated by local AT&T Wisconsin Pioneers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Also pictured are (L-R) Golda Meir Elementary School Principal Michelle Carter, AT&T Wisconsin Director of Government Affairs Dextra Hadnot, and State Rep. Leon Young (D-Milwaukee)
The AT&T Wisconsin Pioneers and State Representative Leon Young (D-Milwaukee) last week presented donated dictionaries to nearly 100 third graders at Golda Meir Elementary School in Milwaukee as part of a statewide effort to help improve childhood literacy and student reading scores.
“This is an exciting program because it not only introduces third graders to the dictionary, but it also helps boost student literacy and reading scores,” said Michelle Carter, Principal of Golda Meir Elementary School. “Thanks to the AT&T Pioneers, our students now own their very own personal dictionary. With this wonderful tool, they will learn vocabulary development, word pronunciation, the different meanings of words, and how to compare and contrast words.”
The event included a presentation where Rep. Young and the Pioneers explained to the students what information they can find in the dictionaries and how to use them. The Pioneers are donating nearly 9,000 dictionaries this school year to students at more than 130 schools statewide, including Golda Meir Elementary, as part of its 6th annual “Dictionaries for Success” program. The Pioneers are a local volunteer organization of AT & T employees and retirees dedicated to volunteering their time to various community causes.
“We know that investing in our children and their education is critically important to our state’s long-term economic growth,” said Rep. Young. “These dictionaries will be a great building block for our students as they continue to grow, learn and succeed in the classroom.”
The “Dictionaries for Success” program is part of AT&T Cares, an expanded volunteer initiative created to encourage employees to get involved in community service that is meaningful to them and their communities, to create change, and to stay engaged. The AT&T Pioneers have been distributing donated dictionaries to more than 130 schools statewide this academic year, including schools in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton, Madison, Waukesha, Racine, Beloit, Janesville, and Eau Claire.
“AT&T is committed to helping advance the education of our young people,” said Dextra Hadnot, director of Government Affairs for AT&T Wisconsin and a local Pioneer. “We are proud to join forces with Rep. Young, Golda Meir staff, and educators throughout the state to give students the tools they need to develop into the future leaders of tomorrow.”