Somersfield Students Enhance Reading Clinic Website in PartnerRe Initiative

December 04, 2012 — From writing a children’s book about the joys of underwater exploration, to revamping a website for children with learning challenges the Island’s students got busy giving hours of their time to community service projects.

Eight schools took part in the seventh annual PartnerRe Dollars for Hours scheme, which saw students help in environment, arts, health and education projects.

In turn, the schools were awarded $30,000 each to put towards curriculum development, classroom resources, bursary and scholarship funds, extra-curricular activity support, student incentive programs, IT equipment and infrastructure projects.

Students at Somersfield Academy helped improve the Reading Clinic’s website.

Thirteen-year-old Hana Bushara said: “We went on the website to see they had a very organised and formal website and we wanted to make it more child-friendly.“

So we looked at the different aspects, like the colours and themes, and we researched different spelling, math and reading games. We also researched learning difficulties like dyslexia and dyscalculia and looked at games that people with learning difficulties liked to play, such as interactive games with rewards.”

They then tested those games with primary students at their school, to narrow down the best activities for learning, explained Leah Smith.

Marcus Bassett said: “I think the best part was just having the opportunity to help a professional company because they help kids and generally we love kids. Overall it was fun to just help out with it and it was a good experience.”

Hana said the end result of the practice website was “ten times better” and is still being considered for approval by the Reading Clinic.

She said she hoped young people would have a better learning experience, both at the clinic and while practicing at home.

Classmate Donovan Stubbs said he was happy to know others might benefit from their work. “Hopefully we will be able to help younger children that have difficulties with reading and math so hopefully it will be rewarding for them, so it’s a good feeling for us.

Dollars for Hours is one of PartnerRe’s major contributions to education in Bermuda. The organisation believes that helping to maintain and improve the quality of education on the Island “is the single most important thing we can do as a Bermudian company”.

The scheme has seen more than 1,200 students from eight secondary schools donate over 13,000 hours of hands-on support to local charities. To date the project has garnered nearly $1.5 million for local schools.

Excerpt from “Schools cash in with students’ help” by Nadia Arandjelovic in The Royal Gazette.