Mount Vernon News

MOUNT VERNON — This week, March 3 through 8, has been designated Newspaper in Education Week, celebrating more than 70 years of collaboration between newspapers and participating school systems. The Mount Vernon News NIE program, which started in February 1998, is in its 10th year of providing classroom teachers with free, current, up-to-date resources for local, state and world news and issues — the newspaper.

Free copies of the Mount Vernon News, along with teachers’ guides, educational sections, special programs and curriculum resources, are provided at no cost to the schools through business and individual sponsors in the community. During the 2006-07 school year, 178 teachers received free newspapers and over 102,000 papers were delivered to area schools for educational use.

Sponsors include Ariel Corp., Dorotha Auker, Bee Line Service, Best Home Improvements, Blubaugh Body & Frame Service, R. Leroy Bumpus, Margaret J. Butler, Christy Naples Hearing Center, Joey Corrigan, Cosby Heating & Cooling Inc., Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston Ltd., Arthur Dailey, Dennis & Schisler Inc., Duke’s Quick Lube & Quality Auto Service, Dusty’s Ag Service Ltd., First-Knox National Bank, Focus Studio, Gambier Welding, Gault’s Plaza Cleaners and Laundromat, Glenn’s Sales, Service & Rental, Griffin Insurance, G.R. Smith Hardware.

Jeld-Wen, Kenyon College, Kid’s Shelf, Killbuck Savings Bank, King Inspection Services Inc., Knerr Tire, Knox Community Hospital, Kurt E. Schisler Inc., Richard McLarnan, McDonalds, Mid Ohio Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Joe and Debbie Miller, Morts Napa Auto Care Center, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Nelson & Nelson CPA’s, Armand and Kathleen Palazzolo, Lori Parker, The Parkside Restaurant & Tavern, Loretta I. Priest, Peoples Bank, Printing Arts Press, R&J Car Care, R&M’s Southside Diner, Ray Richardson, Richardson Glass Service Inc., Bud Rohler, Pam Rose, Ross Brothers Salvage Inc., Snyder Funeral Homes, SR Marketing, State Farm Insurance-Rich Bastin, Esta Lee Strauser.

TD Landscape Inc., The Rollin’ Buckeyes Audrey and Dean Spearman, The Village Market, Mary Jean Theaker, T-Shirt Express, Anita VanWinkle, Weather Vane Clothing Botique, Weyerhaeuser and Zelkowitz, Barry & Cullers.

Regular features of the local NIE program are: Building Blocks, a monthly page for families with preschool activities for young learners; Kidding Around, a Saturday page, has puzzles and games to make reading fun for pupils in grades kindergarten through four; Monday’s Get Excited About Reading page is used mainly by or older students. It can be accompanied by a homework section called “Newsworthy”. Newsworthy is printed each week and asks current events questions about newspaper articles. The GEAR page also has chapter stories in serial form.

This year, to celebrate the NIE’s 10th year in Mount Vernon, and in conjunction with the Knox County bicentennial, the Newspaper in Education department has created a special supplement for today’s paper called “Happy Birthday, Knox County.” A related teacher’s guide is available on the News Web site. To access the guide, click here or then go to the Newspaper in Education prompt and click on “What’s New.”

Also celebrating Knox County is the current chapter story, “History Thief,” which features local characters and Knox County sites and historical events.