Page 1 Literacy Project aims to foster a love of learning in local elementary school students through weekly programming and community events.  As mentors, organizers, and program leaders, Page 1 volunteers take an active role in promoting literacy in all of its forms.

As a student, I am very invested in school and have always loved learning. However, it is often easy to forget how I first became enamored with the process of learning. The joy of reading can become overshadowed by the ever-looming syllabus, and the pressure to use big words can overpower the actual thought that is trying to be communicated. Leading an afterschool PageOne Literacy reading program injects my weeks with energy and goofiness, gives me access to a community outside of the college, and reminds me how fun it can be to simply learn stuff from books. Some kids are just learning to read, while others have mastered the skill, but all are mesmerized by the idea of taking new information from a page and storing it in their mind. We learn new things about underwater creatures, read and discuss fairytales from other countries, and even do an art project or two. In my time with PageOne it has certainly been rewarding to create a relaxed and exciting environment for kids to practice and develop their literacy skills, but it has been equally rewarding to use that environment to reconnect and rekindle my own love for literacy and learning. – Anna Dennis ‘17.5