CAL Celebrates The Year Of The River

Reading on the River

CAL celebrates the Year of the River

The Center for Adult Learning spent the month of May celebrating the St. Johns River.  Classes took field trips to the river to see it firsthand.  Each week of the month a different topic associated with the river was discussed. 

 The first week concentrated on the seven bridges.  Many of the English Second Language (ESL) students did not know the name of the bridge they cross every week to get to class but they knew the color. 

Next, the classes concentrated on the wildlife and the impact on the environment associated with the river.  Students wrote about the river and Jenny Busey from the St. Johns Riverkeeper came and spoke to the classes about the river and its wildlife. The students had many questions for the Riverkeeper especially about fishing.  We never knew we had so many fishermen and women in our classes.

Here is a poem from one of our ESL students from Russia:

Florida’s Springtime

I like Florida’s springtime.

Flowering bushes, flourishing trees

Renovation of nature.

I live on St. Johns riverside

Here, evening is the most beautiful.

I see the city

The luminous bridges, the sparkling light.

The varicolored lights of the city.

My soul rejoices.

Ludmilla Kahan

A student’s answer to –Why the St. Johns River is important for me?
The big reason for me moving to Jacksonville is the St. Johns River. I intend to live in waterside.  Good view make me pleasant and relax.  St. Johns River is also a busy channel for ships coming and going.  I feel like the St. Johns River becoming vivid. It is alive. - Thursday a.m. class- Mei Long-China

Finally, the classes looked at the economic and industrial impact of the river on Jacksonville.

May was a great month for “Reading on the River” at CAL.

Let's Hear It For the River

The second branch to install a “Year of the River” display (that we know about), including  appropriate books, was done recently by Vickie Leonard and Gloria Buenavista of Bradham - Brooks  Northwest Branch.

SOM Supports The Year Of The River

This poster advertises a Year of the River concert coming up at 2:00 pm, April 4, at South Mandarin Branch Library.  The poster rests on an attractive display of other materials that support the Year of the River: 

Thanks to SOM Manager Keli Likins for the picture.

Do you have a display, story time, poster, or decorations highligthing the Year of the River? We would like to add it to the JPL Staff News blog.

QUESTIONS

Q: Could a display, program, story time, or speaker be on your agenda highlighting The Year of the River? Let us hear about it!

The St. Johns River - Where dolphins, manatees, gators and boaters work and play. It runs 315 miles solely in Florida.


Q: Could you combine information about The Year of the River with interesting facts, similarities, and differences of the St. Johns River and the River Thames since Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard is the subject of The Big Library Read Program?  You can use this link to get some input about the River Thames at: http://www.visitthames.co.uk/about-the-river 

The River Thames has 45 locks and 25 species of fish and hosts Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Garden Bridge and more. It runs 210 miles solely in England.

YEAR OF THE RIVER DISPLAY AT SE

Below is a pic of a display at Southeast Branch. Director Gubbin asks JPL to promote THE YEAR OF THE RIVER system wide.  JPL has partnered with the Cultural Fusion and she wants JPL to partner with other organizations and promote this project vigorously by doing displays, story times, programs, etc.   

Thanks to Debra Wainwright for sending this in.  It is a beautiful display that you put together, Debra, and certain to get a lot of attention.

 

What's on your agenda for THE YEAR OF THE RIVER?