Marlinton's Energy Express team will gear up June 9 for the 2011 summer program which will be held at Marlinton Elementary School.

Energy Express is a six-week experience promoting the educational success of children living in rural communities across West Virginia. This goal is achieved by providing a summer learning experience that focuses on reading in addition to providing two nutritious family-style meals each day.

Groups of eight children who have completed kindergarten through fourth grade work with AmeriCorps members serving as their mentors. Daily read a-louds are shared within each group, followed by creative and exciting writing, drama and art activities that help reinforce the child's comprehension.

Likewise, the children have the opportunity to read books of their choice during one-on-one reading with an AmeriCorps member or community volunteer. Weekly themes of "myself," "family," "homeplace," "community" and "ideal world" guide the development of a "print-rich" environment while encouraging the children to appreciate themselves, their personal experiences and their place in the world.

The children receive free take-home books each week that relate to the weekly themes of the Energy Express program.

Mentors will also work with their groups to develop community service projects for the children to complete.

The first day for the children will be June 21 and the program will continue through July 29.

To get your child involved in the program, for more information or an application, contact Joann Estep at Marlinton Elementary School, 304-799-6551, or the WVU Extension Office, 304-799-4852.

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