LEWISBURG W.Va. (WVDN) – West Virginia’s First Lady, Cathy Justice, visited Lewisburg Elementary on Tuesday for a read-aloud for first graders in honor of National Young Readers Week. The First Lady is a huge proponent of West Virginia literacy, curating the steps to integrate Emotional Support Dogs and so much more for the children of West Virginia. In conjunction with the Office of Cabinet Secretary Randall Reid-Smith, 100 new books of various content have been donated to the school library.
It’s always a joy seeing the littles gather in anticipation to meet or see Justice; not only because she’s the First Lady, but also because she is said to always bring happiness with her in one form or another.
National Young Readers Day is celebrated during National Young Readers Week on the second Tuesday in November every year. The day was created to remind Americans about the importance of reading for children. In today’s tech world, reading a book snuggling with loved ones at bedtime, or a lazy Sunday afternoon, is paramount. Teaching children patience in reading as opposed to the instant gratification of a screen is of great importance in that there is no escaping reading in their lives and that they have the skills exemplified by parents and family reading together.
When researching statistics, the average score for fourth-grade students’ reading skills in West Virginia in 2022 was 205, which was lower than the national average of 216. The percentage of students who performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level was 22%, which was lower than in 2019 and 1998. In 2023, 44% of fourth graders in West Virginia were proficient in English language arts (ELA), which was an improvement from the previous year.
West Virginia’s reading test scores rank near the bottom of the nation. In 2024, WalletHub ranked West Virginia 50th out of 51 states for reading test scores.
First Lady Cathy Justice, Cabinet Secretary Randall Reid-Smith, Greenbrier County Schools Superintendent Jeff Bryant and Greenbrier County Public Library Head Librarian Ann Farr, were greeted by Lewisburg Elementary School Principal Sara Bennett and school librarian Emily Shirey.
