Pardo schoolkids enhance reading skills

MORE than 200 children from barangay Pardo, Cebu City attended the summer storytelling session conducted by Smart Communications Inc., in cooperation with Cebu Daily News, on May 12 at the barangay gymnasium.

The summer storytelling aimed to enhance the literacy skills of the children as they prepare to enter grade 1 this coming school year 2011-2012.

The children participants are attending summer kindergarten class at Pardo Elementary School.

The employee volunteers of Cebu Daily News and Smart, assisted by Pardo Elementary School teachers and student volunteers from the University of San Jose-Recoletos, engaged the children’s books storytelling.

The activity also featured games and a dance performance by CDN mascot Siloy that brought the children into cheers.

Siloy also gave high-fives to the children and had photo opportunity with them.

Christelene Becada, 6 years old, said the storytelling activity helped enhance her reading comprehension.

School principal Ronald N. Llerin said they were happy that for the first time Cebu City, along with Smart, chose their school as the beneficiary of the summer storytelling project.

He also said the activity has helped the children a lot, saying it is different since it is handled by the company unlike the usual storytelling where it is conducted by the teachers themselves.

Llerin said he and his fellow teachers were also happy that the education of the children was given importance through the storytelling, which will encourage other parents to also send their children to school during summer.

The half-day activity ended with the distribution of snacks to each of the children by Smart. /EDITORIAL ASSISTANT TITO P. TAN