A 'Lucky' day for reading

COCOLALLA — Thanks to a financial contribution by the Cocolalla Creek Ranch, the first graders of Southside Elementary have new cause to crack the books in the form of small stuffed puppy toys.

Ranch associates Will and Cece Baldwin visited the school to present the kids with their Learning With Lucky puppies. A Post Falls-based educational program, Learning With Lucky is an incentive-based system that encourages kids to read books by offering rewards for their stuffed animal.

“We encourage offering rewards that aren’t materialistic in nature,” Learning With Lucky “Top Dog” Camy Popiel said. “Instead, after reading a certain number of books, the child might get to eat lunch with the principal or earn items for their dog.”

Most classrooms associate the Learning With Lucky rewards with the stuffed puppies. For example, one class gave offered tags, collars, adoption certificates, veterinarian check-ups courtesy of the school nurse and cups of puppy food — Reese’s Pieces that presumably ended up in the students’ stomachs instead. Another classroom kept the puppies at school overnight unless the student had earned a sleep-over.

The primary purpose of the puppies, however, is not to encourage thematically appropriate rewards. Instead, they’re designed to provide students with a reading partner. Learning With Lucky kids read books to their stuffed animal that contribute toward their earned rewards.

“The puppies are there to help place the student in a comfortable environment,” Popiel said. “It’s just easier to read to them than to a real person. After all, the puppy won’t judge you or criticize you if you make a mistake.”

According to Popiel, the program yields verifiable results. She said that first graders who use the Learning With Lucky program have a 34-percent better reading average.

Southside Elementary first participated in the program last year. This time around, Roberta Thompson, owner of the Cocolalla Creek Ranch, decided to finance the Learning With Lucky.

“She saw it as a good opportunity to give to the community,” Learning With Lucky “Puppy Princess” Jody Azevedo said. “So she called us up and told us, ‘I want puppies.’”

Learning With Lucky is backed by Coeur d’Alene car dealership Parker Toyota. Owner Jim Parker’s black lab Lucky provided the program’s name and made an appearance at Southside Elementary for the puppy presentation.

The first graders immediately started bonding with their puppies. Afterwards, there was only one thing left for the presenters to say: “Woof, woof.”