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Title : Project WHEEL

District : 6970

Countries : U.S.A. 

Topics : literacy, tutoring, school

Contact : Susan C.Schondelmaier

Members of the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A. and students at Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary school in Jacksonville have spun a unique partnership in a co-operative educational program known as Project WHEEL, an acronym for “With Help Everyone Enjoys Learning”. Fifty Rotarians, called “Big Wheels” are each assigned five students, known as “Little Wheels”. Once a week, the Big Wheel visits the Little Wheels for 30 minutes. Together they read selections from a variety of sources that reflect some aspect of the classroom curriculum. Big Wheels sometimes tutor students who need extra help in particular subject areas, and occasionally, a teacher will invite a Rotarian to address an entire class. Students are exposed to adult business leaders who can share information and answer questions about their careers. Introduced during the 1997-98 school year, Project WHEEL was among 20 school programs selected by the Florida Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals to receive the 1998 Little Red Schoolhouse Award for excellence in educational programming. The project was reported in the March 1999 issue of The Rotarian magazine.