51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's chapter of Phi Kappa Phi landed a $2,500 literacy grant from the national honor society to create the Rebel Reading Room at Dean Petersen Professional Development School. The vision of school librarian James Bowen, the Rebel Reading Room rewards for hard-working students who exhibit the school's "Pillar of Character" traits: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, citizenship, fairness, and caring. Members of the Rebel Reading Room receive their own book, enjoy stories read aloud by Phi Kappa Phi student volunteers, and have an "environmentally 'poppin' space they can explore, read, dream, wonder, and fall in love with learning and literature," says Bowen. The 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Phi Kappa Phi members wrote the grant and helped paint, decorate, and supply the room.
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ student Kristen Tardio reads with a student inside the Rebel Reading Room at Dean Petersen Elementary. (R. Marsh Starks/51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Services)
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ chairs and plenty of scarlet and gray decorate the Rebel Reading Room. (R. Marsh Starks/51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Services)
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ soccer player Ricky Acero reads with students at Petersen Elementary. (R. Marsh Starks/51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Services)
James Bowen, librarian at Dean Petersen Elementary School, talks about the Rebel Reading Room during a dedication ceremony. (R. Marsh Starks/51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Services)
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ student Kristen Tardio reads with a student inside the Rebel Reading Room at Dean Petersen Elementary. (R. Marsh Starks/51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Services)
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ soccer player Ricky Acero reads with students at Petersen Elementary. (R. Marsh Starks/51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Services)
The Rebel Reading Room inside the school library at Dean Petersen Elementary is a quiet place to curl up with a book. (R. Marsh Starks/51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Services)
