Once Upon a Time: Malheur ESD's Story Time Event Captivates Young Minds and Hearts 

ONTARIO – Ice cream, books, school mascots, volunteer readers and plenty of swag greeted more than 300 kindergarten students at Four Rivers Cultural Center last week as part of the annual stORytime event.

         The event, now in its 12th year, is spearheaded by Malheur Education Service District’s Early Learning Hub but also receives sponsorship help from an array of local firms and organizations.

         The stORytime program aims to introduce Malheur County kindergarteners to literacy as part of a wider effort to get youth “to learn to read, go to school and graduate,” said Tonya Faughn, a Malheur ESD, Early Learning Hub program and finance specialist.

         “Kids need books, and they need to read,” said Faughn.

When the kindergarten students arrive at FRCC they are funneled to a specific classroom where volunteers are ready to read a book to them.

         When the volunteers finish reading a specific book, they ask the students questions and talk about literacy. From there, students move into the Meyer McClean Performing Arts Theater where they enjoy music and entertainment – including school mascots – and a special guest reader. This year the guest reader was former educator Connie Cabrera.

         The visit to the theater is special, said Rod Belknap, Malheur ESD Early Learning Hub assistant director.

         “I think that’s my favorite part. For most of those kids that is probably the first time they have been in an auditorium,” he said.

         The day radiates a “lot of firsts” for the students, said Belknap.

         “It is the first time on a bus, the first time in the cultural center, first time in an auditorium,” he said.

         After the auditorium session, students move to the swag table where each youth receives a book and a Storytime T-shirt and then they stroll outside for lunch.

After lunch, each kindergartener receives ice cream donated by Rogue Credit Union.

         Each kindergarten class also secures the opportunity to get a class picture snapped.

         Marshell Hooker, Malheur ESD Early Learning Hub director, said the event “sets the tone for their school year.”

         “I like that it puts literacy in the forefront for everyone,” said Hooker.

The event can trace its roots to 2015 as part of a now-expired state education program. Back then, the local effort was led by Sherri Hironaka, a former Ontario School District administrator – who still volunteers at the event - and Kelly Poe, the former director of the early learning hub for the Malheur ESD. Funding for the program eventually evaporated but the stORytime event proved so successful it continued, fueled by donations, volunteer help and sponsorship from local businesses.

         “Now it is part of our community structure,” said Hooker.        

The event proved to be popular for kindergarteners. Sra. Ariana Gastelum Nuñez, a kindergarten teacher from Four Rivers Community School, said her students found stORytime to be “very engaging.”

         “They were excited to practice listening in both languages and actively responded, participated, and asked questions that connected the stories to their everyday lives,” said Nuñez.

         Nuñez said the atmosphere of stORytime was “very positive and productive.”

         “As a teacher, it was rewarding to see how engaged they were in learning about books – and how excited they felt to take one home as a bonus,” said Nuñez.

Belknap said the program would not be possible without help from the community. He said Rogue Credit Union should get a “special shout out” for donating $5,000 to cover the cost of books and T-shirts. Other sponsors include Big Sky Sportswear, FRCC, Four Rivers Community School and Friends of the Ontario Library.