Lincoln Elementary in Bemidji Celebrates Reading Corps Program, Long-Time Tutor

Reading is a crucially important facet of early education, and making sure a student is confident in their reading skills is an essential first step in their academic journey. In Bemidji, Lincoln Elementary School’s division of the Minnesota Reading Corps program is meant to offer just that.

“We have staff who come in and support students 20 minutes at a time,” said Lincoln Elementary principal Jason Luksik. “It gives them extra reading throughout the day to support them to be successful readers.”

“We see kids coming in reading, maybe 13 words a minute and they’re leaving Reading Corps at 120.” said Lincoln Elementary Title 1 staff member Darlene Riewer. “Just the expressions on those kids’ face and seeing the confidence build in them, that’s absolutely the best piece of it.”

While helping students improve their reading capabilities is a large part of the Reading Corps program, it’s also meant to provide them with positive relationships with members of their community.

“It just really helps our students to look at building not only their reading capacity but also their relationships,” said Luksik.

According to Reading Corps policy, tutors are only allowed to serve for four years, which means that Lincoln Elementary’s own Reading Corps tutor Sue Jansen will be leaving the program at the end of the school year.

“Not seeing her everyday is going to be really hard, she’s been a huge part of our school,” said Riewer.

“They’re all family now, all the teachers, the principal, everyone is like family, and I will be volunteering next year to help with the kids when they need help,” said Sue Jansen.

Lincoln Elementary is seeking a new tutor for the Reading Corps program to ensure Bemidji youth are receiving the services they require. More information on the position is available here.