Our School Spotlight for February is Antonio Margil Academy in SAISD. Faculty and Staff at Margil Academy have been nothing short of spectacular this year. Not only are they exceptional with their students, but they are always very welcoming and beyond selfless when assisting our Reading Buddies and staff from SAYL. 

“We believe [the program] is tremendously valuable to our students.  So many of our students need one-on-one reading time, which the teachers cannot provide to all the students every day.  Parents are often working or unable to spend one-on-one reading time with their child,” commented Ms. Wolf, the school’s Librarian and who also serves as our Site Director for the program. “For students who are struggling to read, the best way for them to learn is to practice reading out loud. These students need to practice with a trained adult decoding words and reading with fluency. These students often do not enjoy reading and have little confidence in their ability to read. Having an understanding mentor can boost their self-esteem and self-assurance and help them to love reading, “ added Ms. Wolf.

The students at Margil Elementary love the program and spending time with their Buddies, too! Here is what a few of the students had to say:

“My mentor is awesome; I like reading with her.”

“My mentor helps me sound out the words so I can get to higher levels”

“I like the books, some of them are funny.  My mentor is funny and she is helpful.”

“I like being able to learn more.”

We here at SAYL are very proud and grateful for all the hard work that is exhibited every day by the Margil Academy Faculty and Staff. Thank you to Ms. Wolf and everyone at Margil for all you do!