Solvay Students Serve on Panel

Two freshman students, Ariel Ash and Allison Ryan, volunteered and served on a  student panel for the 2020 CNY Reading Council Spring Conference this past weekend (Saturday, March 7th). They joined students from multiple schools by sharing in a conversation about literacy and what that means to our youth. Both Allison and Ariel did a PHENOMENAL job in representing Solvay. Their responses added great value to the conversation that afternoon. Mrs. Moran is very proud of them.

Here are some of the questions Ariel and Allison were asked (and Mrs. Moran's summary of their responses):

1. What does the term literacy mean to you? Can you tell me what literacy looks and sounds like in your communities? Everything we do from day to day life is literacy...even talking. Literacy is a way to escape. It is your dreams. It is being able to recognize characters in stories and those characters' ambitions/goals, while being able to connect with them and see part of yourself in them. Literacy is the news and understanding of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 
2. All people have knowledge, and literacy educators often hope to leverage that knowledge in the classroom. What are some of your sources of knowledge that your teachers successfully leveraged in the classroom? If you can't think of anything, then tell us about what sources of knowledge you wish your teachers had successfully leveraged in the classroom. My teachers have been able to use my point of view as leverage in the classroom. They pull us into the texts we are reading to help connect us to characters and see different perspectives.
3. What literacies have you developed that you think will help you become a lifelong learner? Being able to recognize different perspectives...not every coin is one-sided and there are different sides to every person's story. Also, being able to have a strong opinion and learning that it is okay not to think the same as someone else will help me become a lifelong learner. Our differing opinions allow us to see the world in multiple ways and help us gather new information. To me, it is most interesting when you can be surprised at how your opinion can change throughout your lifetime. 
4. How have the relationships you have developed with your literacy teachers (including elementary, middle, and high school reading and/or English teachers) helped you prepare to become a lifelong learner? My teachers that come to school with great attitudes can affect the entire class. When my teachers are invested and enthusiastic about what they are teaching, that really helps. The relationships have helped me with my writing and in just being an overall better person.