I Wish You Could See All The Pics

 But because of the restrictions of Whiz Kids, City Gospel, and Eastside, I can't post all of them on the blog.  But that's okay.  I'll show you and tell you what I can.  But unless you were part of the celebration you can't feel the excitement or energy in the room.

But you can meet my buddy Connor.  I have known Connor since he was a baby.  He's part of the Wammyville family.  He is so full of energy, 'Connorness', and love that it overflows every time he smiles.  He's a great hugger.  He loves deeply. And he has become a great reader!  He advanced 4 levels!  Knows 200+ sight words!  He amazes me weekly.

The small stars on the wall tell of all the positive accomplishments the kids have made during the year.  They are written by each tutor.  At the end of the night, the kids got to take their stars home.

Bev holds it all together.  She is also the Children's Director at Eastside.    She checks in with the students and tutors each week to make sure things will move smoothly.  She is the maker of all the handouts for the parents.   Bev schedules a Whiz Words speaker each month.  She is also one of the Whiz Words speakers.  The list goes on and on.  We couldn't do it without her.

The pastor of Eastside, Jason, had a prayer with us before dinner.  He was able to go around to each table and talk with the families.  We would like to thank Jason, the Elders, and our Eastside families for all the prayers and for making it possible for all 17 Whiz Kids to have a tablet to read from.  It is a big deal!

Some of the Kitchen Ladies.   These ladies prepare a dinner for all 17 kids and at least that many tutors and other helpers each Wednesday night.  They are amazing!  Connor is sweet on all of them!  And they might think he is a little special too because there might be a cupcake with special decorations for him some nights.

Bridgit is the backbone of this operation.  She evaluated each student when they started.  She figures out the level at which they should start.  She pulls all the books and sets up the tablets...let's just say that she spends hours upon hours in the Whiz Kids office and at home getting everything ready each week.  And she is a backup Whiz Words speaker.

This is me and my little buddy.  My job is I guess you could say Jack of all trades.  I tutor. I help carry food upstairs.  Bridgit and I figure out the STEAM schedule.  I work with the kitchen ladies in making up our menu.  I fill in with Whiz Words.  I love it and can't see myself doing anything else on Wednesday nights.

John and Murph are the very capable check-in/security team.  They are the first people the kids and parents see each night.  Murph has the biggest heart for these kids and their families.

I will cherish this note forever.  It hangs on the wall in the school room and will find a permanent place in my Bible once the school year is over.

This makes my heart so happy!

Some stats

We read over 500 books this year alone.  We as a group mastered over 5,000 sight words, and two students mastered all 1000 on the list.  For fluency, kids are reading an average of 85 words per minute (range is from 31-140 words per minute.  All the students went up at least 1 reading level.  Not only all those numbers but they learned about Jesus, practiced kindness and table manners, and had tons of fun.  The smiles were there every night!

A HUGE thank you to all the tutors for their commitment to Whiz Kids.  I have made new adult friends as well as little friends.  It does take a village and I am glad to be part of this one!

Wish you could have been there!