Advancing Literacy in Rancho Peñasquitos

by Scott Peters
for the Corridor News
July 2002

Imagine kids of all ages waiting in line to read a book. Imagine kids spending their summer days choosing to read instead of playing video games or watching television. Imagine a place where kids of all ages can enhance their reading skills through story times, buddy reading programs and tutoring. No need to imagine this is happening in Rancho Peñasquitos, thanks to the vision and hard work of Cindy Marten, a reading resource specialist at Los Peñasquitos Elementary School.

In early June, Cindy contacted my office to see if I could help her start a literacy center in Rancho Peñasquitos. Cindy was bursting with enthusiasm and energy and I was impressed by her dedication to the prospect of creating a literate society one child at a time. She noted that the reading skills of many of her students decline over the long summer break and she was looking for a way to keep her kids reading all summer long. She wanted to start the center close to the kids who had the most difficult time accessing books and tutoring help and teamed up with Joan Pelky of Wakeland Housing who runs the Canyon Rim Apartment Complex, and they provided some cash assitance and the facility. I was able to secure $8,000 from District One's Community Development Block Grant money, the PQ Town Council provided a $300 grant and Cindy's passion for the project has paid off in donations from local businesses and offers of volunteer help from the community.

On July 26th I was privileged to join Cindy, teachers from Los Peñasquitos Elementary, and about 60 children for the opening of the center. I read one of my favorite children's stories, "Seven Silly Eaters," about the picky eating habits of the Peters children, and presented a resolution to Cindy from the City Council declaring July 26th to be Canyon Rim Literacy Day in San Diego. The event was a celebration of a community coming together to promote literacy and learning.

One of Cindy's favorite sayings is, "An idea doesn't work unless you do." And she practices what she preaches! In only two months the Canyon Rim Literacy Center has gone from being an idea to a real facility, with bookshelves, posters, books and dedicated volunteers. This is a glowing example that one person with an idea can make a difference!

Cindy's dedication to literacy is an example we should all take to heart. She is providing an environment where kids will choose to read because it's fun and easily accessible. Like many of us, Cindy understands that reading is the basis for lifelong learning and strong citizenship, and that it is the foundation for successful academic performance and economic well-being. Reading can be entertaining as well as informative, it builds strong minds and encourages thought, and it enhances self-fulfillment and imagination.

In an e-mail to me a few weeks ago, Cindy gave a wonderful explanation of what a literate society should provide for its children.

"We teach all of our students how to read, but creating the conditions in their community that cause them to read is just as, if not more, important. One of the goals of the center is to make sure that they actually read during the summer months. It's not enough to say that they can read; or that they are reading 'at grade-level in June.' I need them to read over the summer to make sure they sustain their reading level, but more importantly to create a drive and a passion for reading and for books with all of the children in the community."

We should all thank Cindy Marten for her passion, her creative and effective idea, and the desire to see the idea become reality. She has indeed given the children of Rancho Peñasquitos two great gifts: literacy and herself.