‘I really, really love this girl’: Reading program creates unlikely friendships across
By Pepper Purpura
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — At Valley View Village in Des Moines, Thursdays have become something residents and students alike look forward to each week.
Fourth and fifth graders from Phillips Elementary spend time reading with residents at the assisted living facility as part of a program designed to strengthen literacy skills and create connections across generations.
For fifth-grade student Nora Brown, the visits became about much more than books.
“I’ve always liked reading and doing reading clubs, and I thought it would be a great way to meet some new people,” Brown said.
One of those people was Nancy Hanson, a former East High School teacher, now resident at Valley View Village. Over the last two years, the pair has spent time reading together, talking about family and life, and building a friendship that now feels much deeper than a learning activity.
“The first day I came up to her, and I guess we just knew each other, and it kind of took off from there,” Brown said.
The program originally started as a way to encourage reading practice, but Phillips Elementary Principal Kristy Fitzgerald said it quickly evolved into something more meaningful.
“We thought at first it would be about practicing reading, and it really ended up being something about forging generations,” Fitzgerald said.
During visits, books can become secondary as conversations take over. Fitzgerald said many students form strong bonds with residents and even ask to be paired with the same person week after week.
“Over the year, a bond does absolutely build,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s kind of sad, too, when we graduate fifth-graders.”
For Hanson, the friendship with Brown has become one of the highlights of her week.
“I really, really love this girl. I really, really love her,” Hanson said.
Now, with the school year ending and Brown preparing to move on to middle school, the two know their weekly visits are coming to a close. Still, both hope the friendship continues long after elementary school.
“I want her to come back and visit me,” Hanson said.
For now, they’re focused on enjoying the time they are still guaranteed together, a chapter at a time.
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