Reading students at Green Cove Springs Junior High School have a new place to relax and read! Right before the school year began the Rosewood Reading Lab was dedicated. Rosewood Homes, along with over 45 tradesman and contractors, revamped and equipped this classroom into a relaxing state-of-the-art classroom that looks more like a European coffee house/Internet Café than an old portable building. Reading Teachers at Green Cove Springs Junior High all exclaim that their students deserve this uniquely comfortable place where skills can be built and expanded.

This is truly a “Partnership” between the school and the community. This came about from a conversation that Reading Teacher Liz Shillings had with a neighbor who informed her that Rosewood Homes was looking for a school to adopt. Liz Shillings took the opportunity to suggest that Green Cove Springs Junior High School be that adopted school. Janice Martin has been the driving force from Rosewood Homes who recruited their contractors and sub-contractors to donate materials and labor while Vice-Principal Janice Tucker worked with the Clay County District Schools to make this $50,000 project come to fruition. Throughout this process Liz Shillings has repeatedly stated that “our guys (meaning students) miss out on electives and need a reason to come to school, this is their reason.”

Retired Principal, Kenneth Francis, who was Principal during the entire process and Roger Day, President of Rosewood Homes, cut the ribbon on this classroom that was gutted and transformed into the splendor that it is today. Current Reading Department members Tonya Srader, Karen Walsh, Leisa Jones, Tammy Hamel, Mari Haynes, and Mechelle Simpson were beaming with their Cougar Pride as the community and district stakeholders enjoyed the dedication.

The lab is for struggling readers who scored a level 1 or 2 on the FCAT test. All Reading classes will rotate into the portable building with students have frequent opportunity to work at the computer stations, discuss literature while sitting on comfortable sofas and recliners, listen to readings at individual study carrels, and/or work with teachers at small round tables.