Literature League
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| Dear Friends: |
| My name is Anne Cherniss
and I will be a Senior at Los Gatos High School this upcoming fall.
For the past nine years I have been in a mother-daughter book club
that shaped me and my passion for reading. From this group I learned
that moral and character lessons in literature apply to my life.
Furthermore, I practiced participating and listening during
discussion. My Sophomore year of high school I decided I wanted to
tie my passion for reading back into the community by starting
Literature League, a book club for fourth and fifth graders. |
| Each chapter meets monthly and discusses
the recent book. The high school students guide the children
designated to lead discussion. Thus, Literature League gives
children a safe environment to practice leadership. Reading a book
each month gives students the opportunity to set goals as they
divide the daunting task into manageable pieces. Through
encouragement of members and leaders, the students can experience
success. One girl, who struggled finishing each book her first year,
decided to read each book to completion her second year and she
successfully attained her goal. One goal of Literature League is to
establish friendships with each student so, through mentor
relationships, the children will experience further learning. |
| An encouraging experience for me was
when I heard two girls talking about how they want to lead chapters
when in high school. This delighted me as it became apparent that
the League is successful in raising up new leaders. |
| There are currently four chapters of
Literature League with an equal number of participating boys and
girls. There are two at Almaden Elementary and two at Bracher
Elementary in Santa Clara. However, for many of the members,
purchasing an extra book each month would be financially impossible.
Therefore, we purchase the books. Up to this point in time we've
raised $1,560 by writing letter to family members and friends and by
visiting women's book clubs. The cost of each meeting averages $75
including the cost of books, snacks, and miscellaneous supplies. We
have nine meetings each year per group, so the annual cost of a
group is $675. $3,000 will cover next year's costs of the current
clubs. |
| I am currently working to achieve
non-profit status by incorporating us as a 501(c)3 with the IRS,
which would allow for tax deductible donations and more official
standing. |
| Additionally, I am advising other
students and teachers as they prepare to start and finance chapters.
This excites me as next fall I will not only be helping the girls in
my chapter practice leadership skills, but I will also help my
peers! |
| Thank you and God bless, |
| Anne Cherniss |
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Contact
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| Have questions? Get answers! Call Jason Roeder,
Associate Pastor, High School Ministries at (408)867-1000 ext.
235. Email: jason@saratogafederated.org |
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To sign up for any event, call or
e-mail Melinda Chase with the details. Bring your signed
permission slip & payment, to our Student Ministries
office. Melinda's contact: (408)867-3041. Email: melinda@saratogafederated.org |
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Mission Statement
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| The Literature League is dedicated to helping and inspiring
young students. |
| We have four main purposes: to establish a relationship with
each child; through this connection, help expand the students'
knowledge and appreciation of literature; teach the children
how to organize and lead a literary discussion; and teach the
student how to participate in a conversation with an open mind
by discussing ideas and opinions and learning to listen to
others. We desire to instill in these students a passion for
literature that will remain with them the rest of their lives. |
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