Weekly Media Roundup - June 5, 2014

Ballard Helps Kick Off Summer Reading Program (WISH-TV, Indiana)

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard read Good Night Moon to students Wednesday morning to kick-off the Indianapolis Public Library’s summer reading program.  As part of the Read in Any Language theme of this summer’s program, the students will map out their “race” around the world reading books with a global perspective.  Mayor Ballard told WISH-TV about how valuable programs like this are, saying that “I always liked to read as a kid, but I think it’s the summer program that kids can really advance on their own.  The Summer Reading Program is designed to make it easy for the kids and give them the opportunity to see what is available to them and have a lot of fun doing it.”

A Higher Key: Music Program Helps Kids Learn New Skills (StarTribune, Minnesota)

The sound of classical music fills the halls of Nellie Stone Johnson Community School in the afternoons as students in the afterschool music program learn to play instruments like violins and cellos.  El Sistema, an afterschool club founded in Venezuela 40 years ago dedicated to social justice and crime prevention, offers much more than music lessons to students in north Minneapolis.  While the program teaches the students to play classical instruments, it also promotes the ideals of cooperation and strong study skills.  El Sistema is just finishing up its second year in north Minneapolis, and it has already produced real results – the students in the program tested as faster readers and as more empathetic and creative than their peers, the StarTribune reports.

Canine Training Reaches Hearts of Young Offenders (Santa Cruz Sentinel, California)

For five residents at the Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall, their hard work training and socializing abandoned dogs paid off as the young residents graduated from the “Canines for Compassion” program.  The objective of the program is twofold. The students who train these previously neglected dogs learn empathy and patience and the dogs are taught basic commands and good behavior, increasing their likelihood of being adopted.  While the dogs have made great strides in confidence and skills, the trainers gained valuable life skills.  One of the longer-term residents told the Santa Cruz Sentinel how much the program means to him, “More than anything, (George the Rottweiler and Labrador mix he trained) been a friend.  I actually gained a friend in here. I really liked this whole program. It brought me some feelings, some emotions.”

Alexandria Library’s Summer Reading Program Also Gets Kids Excited About Science (Town Talk, Louisiana)

Fizz, Boom, Read. The theme of this year’s Alexandria Westside Regional Library’s Summer Reading Program aims to interest young people in reading and science.  Students will get a chance to engage in experiments, many involving mixing chemicals that create loud pops and fizzing bubbles.  Some of the experiments and scientific phenomena the students will learn about are included on the program’s summer reading list, the Town Talk reports.