ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, October 7th, 2011  – The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) will observe Reading is Fun Week from October 9 to 15 under the theme “Reading: the Power of Education”.

The week will kick off with an opening ceremony on Monday, October 10 at the school’s grounds where they will launch the ESHS Star Chasers Book Club and honour Mrs. Jennie Wheatley, a long standing educator and the founder of the ESHS Library.

His Excellency the Governor Mr. Boyd McCleary, CMG, CVO and Minister for Education and Culture, Honourable Andrew Fahie will be present to deliver remarks and make a special presentation to the honoree.

Ms. Yvonne Mactavious, librarian at the ESHS said, “Ms. Wheatley was instrumental in founding and organising the library. She has written many books including, ‘Boysie and the Genips’, ‘Pass it on’, ‘A Treasury of Virgin Islands Tales’, ‘Bo Hog Put in Gold Teeth’, ‘Daniel’s Trunk’ and many more.”

In an appeal to encourage more reading Ms. Mactavious said, “I’m taking this opportunity to ask our children to read books by local authors.  They contain our local history and children need to read them to know about the past and present happenings in the Virgin Islands.”

Highlighting the importance of reading, Assistant Principal for Pastoral Affairs Mrs. Donna Clyne-Thomas said, “Studies have shown that everything starts to work in the brain when you read. Adults need to read more and we need to see them read more because that is how the young people learn to have a passion for reading.  The average child that loves to read somewhere in the home, someone that they spend time with, they watched them read.”

The assistant principal appealed to adults to read more not only for themselves, but to children and elderly persons.  She said reading promotes lifetime learning and enables persons to be better writers.

The week’s observance, which was instituted by the Department in the early 1990s, is aimed at heightening awareness of the importance of reading and encouraging Territory-wide participation in fostering an appreciation for reading.

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