South McKeel Receives $6,000 Grant for Digital Reading Program

Gift from John A. Leighty Family Fund within the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland

Lakeland, FL (July 30, 2013) - South McKeel Academy is the proud recipient of a $6,000 grant from the John A. Leighty Family Fund within the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland, Inc.   As an approved project through Impact Lakeland 2013, South McKeel Academy’s “Digital Interest: Get My Attention, Watch Me Soar!” application was chosen for a gift of $6,000.

“We are extremely excited to have this opportunity to launch this program with our middle grades reading classes at the start of the new year”, stated Mrs. Judi Morris, South McKeel Academy Principal.  “This generous gift  kick starts a new and exciting adventure to make reading fun using  iPads .” The “Digital Interest: Get My Attention, Watch me Soar!” project strives to gain the interest and build confidence of those readers to ensure academic success.

With Common Core, students are required to read and respond to more complex materials.  Using digital devices such as these iPads for reading, appeals to students and quickly gains their interest.  They can take notes right on the iPads while reading, email notes to the teacher to assess comprehension, look up vocabulary words, use the internet for research, listen to books being read aloud, and use the recording feature to evaluate their fluency rates.  Students will be engaged in new technology and exposed to a whole new world of literacy possibilities, while having fun with iPads.

Research shows that this digital approach to reading has helped students regain interest in reading.  The success of the program will be measured by improvement in reading comprehension for the targeted group of students.  The goal is to increase Discovery Assessment scores by at least one level for the lowest 25% of readers.

South McKeel Academy opened its doors in August 2006 as a K-5 start-up public charter school contracted by Polk County Schools to offer an elementary program in South Lakeland in a former skating rink.  The campus added grades 6 and 7 in 2009 in the adjacent building, a former bowling alley, and now has 1164 students and 104 staff.   South McKeel Academy was designated as a high-performing charter school in 2011 and under the direction of Senor Director of Schools/Principal Judi Morris.