By CHRIS COLLINS

Of the Baker City Herald

It’s the sound of children’s voices and their laughter that draw Frank Nipper, a former teacher, back to the classroom in his retirement.

andquot;I love those little kids. I just love being around them,andquot; he said.

Nipper is one of about a dozen Trail Tender volunteers who have stepped forward to help young readers improve their skills through the Start Making a Reader Today, or SMART, literacy program.

The 78-year-old retired Huntington teacher believes he benefits as much from the program as do the two Brooklyn School second-graders he reads with each Thursday.

Dorthy Wooters, 75, another retired teacher and longtime Trail Tender, said she urged her fellow volunteers to help with the SMART program as a way to broaden their service to the community.

And although she was supportive of the literacy program, she was unable to sign up as a regular volunteer herself. Instead, she recruited others who she thought might have the desire and the time to help.

Wooters also has filled in as a substitute SMART volunteer for the past month.

andquot;I just think it’s so important to give these kids a boost in reading,andquot; she said, noting that the program serves the middle group of readers who could most benefit from one-on-one attention and more time spent reading.

andquot;There’s a very large span that just needs a little special attention, a little encouragement and motivation to read more,andquot; she said.

Todd Honeywell enjoys sharing his love for reading with a kindergarten boy and a first-grade girl at North Baker Elementary School. Because he works four 10-hour days in his job with the Oregon Department of Transportation, he can easily fit the one hour per week of reading time into his schedule.

His mother, Linda Honeywell, not only nurtured his love for reading while he was growing up, she also encouraged the 30-year-old to share his enthusiasm with children through the SMART program. Linda is employed as a secretary at the Baker School District office.

Todd urges others to devote a small amount of their spare time to help students improve their reading skills.

andquot;I think it’s a good idea. A lot of times parents don’t have time because they’re too busy taking care of the kids and putting food on the table,andquot; he said.

The SMART program, founded in Oregon in 1992 and operated by the Oregon Children’s Foundation, was introduced in the Baker School District in February.

It was established with a $16,875 grant from the Leo Adler Foundation, according to Bob Evans, Literacy Coalition coordinator. Three people are paid $7.50 per hour for 12 hours a week to coordinate the volunteers. The money also pays for books and supplies in a SMART kit for each of the schools.

The coordinators are Sherry Peterson at Brooklyn School; Carol Porter, South Baker School; and Shannon Keck, North Baker and Haines schools.

This year’s goal was to recruit volunteers to work with 20 students at the Baker elementary schools and 10 at Haines. Volunteers spend 30 minutes with two students once a week. More volunteers are needed, particularly at North Baker School.

Volunteers are not reading tutors, Peterson said. A brief video training discusses different ways for volunteers to communicate with children and to enjoy books together. The volunteers spend time reading to the students, listening to the students read to them and talking to the students about the books they’ve selected.

At the end of each month, students get to take two books home to keep, Peterson said.

The children are enthusiastic about the program and look forward to their weekly visits with their SMART partners, she said. And they are improving their reading skills.

andquot;We have seen some really good progress,andquot; she said.

Keck believes bringing community members into the schools is another benefit of the program.

andquot;It is just a great opportunity to get the community involved in the public schools,andquot; she said. andquot;That way they know kind of what’s going on in the buildings.andquot;

The students also benefit from the opportunity to interact with other caring adults, Porter said.

Evans oversees the SMART coordinators and serves as liaison to the Oregon Children’s Foundation and the Baker School District. Members of the Literacy Coalition Board also serve as the SMART community leadership team. They are Aletha Bonebrake, Kari Borgen, Dave Coughlin, Eloise Dielman, Joy LeaMaster, Toni Goodwin and Ruth Whitnah.

The program is expected to be funded with federal grant money next year, Evans said. SMART program standards call for it to be offered for at least seven months during the school year and that 60 percent of the volunteer readers return.

The Literacy Coalition hopes some day to see the program offered in all Baker County schools, he said.

Evans believes that programs of this kind will help students succeed despite state school funding shortfalls.

andquot;Bringing the public, particularly business professionals and retirees, into schools to work with students creates positive relationships for all,andquot; he said.