United Way, Olseth Family Foundation distribute poetry books to area fourth graders

May 9—Dozens of Roosevelt Elementary School fourth graders' hands shot high in the air Tuesday afternoon as Jon Olseth asked who would like to read a poem from Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends."

The Roosevelt students were among the latest fourth graders across schools in Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet and Waseca counties to receive their own copy of the classic poetry book, thanks to a grant from the Olseth Family Foundation, of which Olseth is co-director.

Local firefighters and police officers joined Olseth and the kids Tuesday afternoon during their read-aloud time to promote community support for reading as Greater Mankato Area United Way distributed the books; they'll distribute more than 1,600 copies this year.

United Way and the Olseth Family Foundation have delivered the same book to students each year since they started in 2017, Olseth said.

The rural Mankato man said poetry is the right fit because of how accessible it is.

"Poetry is like singing to one another, and it gives us all some space to be able to read out loud to one another and share," he said.

Poetry also fits right in with what the kids are learning in the classroom, said fourth grade teacher Kristin Krusemark.

She said the book works well with their standards.

"It helps develop good readers in terms of fluency, and then it's got some made-up words, which is really good for phonics and word decoding and comprehension," Krusemark said. "It's also really good because it supports all types of readers. You've got some readers that struggle and so they still find poems they can be successful reading."

Olseth said having an event where members of the community come out to read with the kids is especially important, as it brings everyone together.

"There's really a sense of community that we need to not only talk about but to showcase. These experiences are like that where these students really feel like they're a part of something, and the community cares about them. We're coming to their space. It is just truly to let them know that they matter to us," he said.

Supt. Paul Peterson said events like this help kids get excited about reading at an early age.

"I think at all levels, K-5, middle and then high school, reading is so important, but really at your elementary levels you're really trying to light a fire, an excitement for literacy and for reading, and so, whether that's happening in classrooms or whether kids are going to libraries or whether they're doing it at home, which makes this gift so special, because now kids can, this is their book," he said.

Fourth grader Zavier Cano said he enjoyed getting his own copy to take home.

"It was pretty cool, because I got to learn about some stuff and I got a book, and I thought it was pretty fun," he said. "I thought the poems were pretty funny."

Olseth said the event continues to inspire reading long after the copies are handed out.

"What's really neat is now the third graders see the fourth graders getting these books and are like, 'When am I getting my poetry book?'" he said. "Coming back and just delivering the books and seeing these kids' excitement is everything. It's really such a treat to be able to be invited into the schools and read with them."