“”LA CROSSE, Wis., (February 22, 2022) – In celebration of National African American Parent Involvement Day, students at Hintgen Elementary School participated in an event called Read Your Heart Out. This was Hintgen’s third year of participating in the event. Family, community members, and volunteers who identify as African American came to school to read books, recite poetry, and connect with students through reading in the classroom during the Read Your Heart Out celebration.
Read Your Heart Out’s intent is to utilize culturally representative texts that highlight African Americans in a positive way and is deeply rooted in African American culture, community, and values. The goals also aim to have community and family members from the African American community come into schools to read aloud these texts so that students can see themselves in both the literature and in roles in their community.
“As we continue to focus on equity, our culturally responsive practices, and a focus on literacy it made perfect sense to bring Read Your Heart Out to our school,” said Hintgen principal Amy Oliver. “This event helps affirm our commitment to fostering an inclusive learning environment by empowering all students to become knowledgeable, caring, and active participants in their communities.”
Read Your Heart Out was created 15 years ago by Michelle Belnavis, a teacher in the Madison Metropolitan School District. Read Your Heart Out was intended to align to National African American Parent Involvement Day that occurs each February. The event started in one school but grew to include many other schools and districts over the years.
###
“”””[vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”0″ images=”20187,20186,20185,20188″ img_size=”625×417″]””