The library at Buckeye Junior High back in early March was filled with dozens of seventh graders discussing books they read over the last quarter — with each other and with adult volunteers — as part of a unique reading program called the Confetti Project.
At one table, students debated about one of the characters' actions in the young adult fiction novel “Stargirl.” Sylvia Simak, a seventh grade English language arts teacher, queried the students.
"What do you guys think about that? What if someone did that to you? Put a sign up and painted it on a canvas that they loved you?"
Vance, one of the students, had a response similar to Leo, the main character, who was put off by the display of affection from the quirky Stargirl.
"I'm not the romantic type, so I'll just do what I always do," he said. "Either walk away or try to change the subject until they lose interest."
Each quarter, teachers at the school in Buckeye Local School District in rural Medina County select several books for students to read that are typically driven by characters overcoming adversity or otherwise going through tough things in life, works the district calls "inspirational." At the end of each session, the seventh graders gather together to discuss fiction books with adult volunteers, while the eighth graders discuss nonfiction books in a one-on-one setting with the community members.
A need for connection
Jody Keith, language arts teacher for the eighth grade, came up with the idea several years ago. The need for the project, which is funded locally and by several grants from state and national teachers union groups, was clear, she said.
"Initially it started post-COVID, and there was a need for relationships," she said. "People were feeling isolated. Kids had spent so much time on the screen, they didn't know how to talk face to face."
The name of the project comes from a saying, “to spread kindness like confetti,” said seventh and eighth-grade teacher Mary Crabtree. In this case, she said the "confetti" is akin to spreading reading and communication skills.
The project also reinforces the district’s "Portrait of a Buck," positive traits for students — like critical thinking — that the district hopes students graduate with, she said. Students are asked to note when characters in the books exhibit those characteristics.
"Then they also tie it to their life by giving an example of when they exhibit that characteristic," Crabtree explained.
For example, with the "Stargirl" novel, students noted the fact that the nonconforming "Stargirl" continues being herself despite being bullied, which conforms with the "perseverance" trait the district hopes to instill.
Wyatt, a seventh grader, said he can relate to a book he read as part of the project, called "So B. It."
"It's like this girl faces a lot of challenges, and she doesn't know anything about her family," Wyatt said. "She goes around the world and tries to find her family. I feel like I faced a lot of challenges, and you always have to get through them."
What kind of challenges? He noted he broke his arm recently playing basketball.
"I've had a lot of injuries in my sports career, like concussions and obviously my arm right now," he said.
Other books similarly resonated with students. Aurora liked the book "The Crossover," about two twin basketball stars who navigate tension in their relationship. She and her sister fight sometimes, too, she said.
"Just over, like stupid stuff, like clothes, and I steal her stuff sometimes," she explained.
What can other schools learn from the program?
The Confetti Program is reinforcing valuable skills for students that will benefit them down the road, said Lori Wilfong, associate professor in the school of teaching, learning and curriculum at Kent State University.
"There's research out there about how authentic literacy experiences help a kid want to actually be a reader," she explained. "The fact that they're doing this at middle school [is impressive]. There's no pressure like, 'Oh, okay, I'm going to be having a conversation with someone who's older than me, with a mentor, with someone out in the community,' for them to want to sound like they know what they're talking about."
Some of the students in volunteer Vicky Chung's group didn't like the book they read for the project, called "Ribbons," about a girl who loves ballet but must forgo lessons while her parents save money to bring her grandmother to the U.S. from China. But the students still learn lessons from each book they end up reading, Chung said. The program has been a good experience for her, too, she added. Her daughter is one of the students in her discussion group.
"I like to hear their perspective of things," Chung said. "I'm not a reader either, so it does help me start reading and doing other things than just scrolling mindlessly on Facebook or something."
The district can’t correlate higher test scores to the Confetti Project yet, but, one benefit has been clear for the students, said teacher Mary Crabtree.
"We see higher engagement," she said. "We see kids reading who maybe would never pick up a book. We see kids talking to teachers who never would engage in conversations. And that sense of engagement — and also just the sense of community that they gain — if it never resulted in any score changes at all, that would be worth everything."
Kyla, a seventh grader, said she thinks other schools should create programs similar to Confetti.
"You talk to the kids in your grade, and you read the same book and it's like a lot more fun than just writing an essay about a book," she said.
The school district has also begun pushing the programming down into the lower grades. The eighth graders this year have "book buddies" at the elementary school, whom they meet with and read to several times a year.
The program is easily replicable for other school districts, although it does take a lot of work, Crabtree said.
"It's a huge coordination effort," she explained. "This requires Sylvia to put together all the volunteers and create the sheet and plan all that. You know, Jody plans all of the volunteers for everything that we do, like book buddies and then gets meals set up and figures out the money for that."
Jodi Keith, the program's creator, said the program's main costs go toward purchasing the books. Much of the rest of the program is run by staff, along with some help from volunteers.
They hope to continue the programming as long as grant funding and volunteer support continue, she said.
