NCB shares passion for reading

Valentine's Day took on a whole new meaning at Mountain View Primary School last Monday as employees from National Commercial Bank (NCB) Cross Roads, Windward Road and Matilda's Corner branches visited the school to spend time treating students to reading sessions as well as pampering them with NCB-branded cupcakes.

Through the NCB Foundation's 'Love for Reading' programme, the students from grades one to six sat in groups and listened keenly as NCB employees engaged and encouraged them to read.

The 'Love for Reading' programme was developed to ignite a passion and love for reading among students at the primary-school level. The programme includes NCB employees becoming personally involved by conducting reading sessions with students at primary schools islandwide with an aim to encourage them on the importance of reading. Having previously invested and partnered with Mountain View Primary School it was a natural fit for NCB to return to the school to put to work the investment.

"We are passionate about the development of our nation's children, and education being a primary element of NCB's focus for development requires consistent involvement, along with creative and deliberate intervention. With this in mind we have developed the 'Love for Reading' programme geared towards encouraging a passion for reading among students at the primary-school level." said Belinda Williams, NCB's corporate communications manager.

"Conducting this programme on Valentine's Day is indeed a special day where we have the opportunity to powerfully send the message of love for reading among our nation's children and, of course, to spend quality time with them."

Michelle Robinson, principal, Mountain View Primary School, expressed her appreciation for the programme and stated that, "Apart from practising the skills of reading, we need to nurture the love for reading as it will have an impact on the student's self-growth and development". This sentiment was endorsed as Michelle Jackson, a grade-five student, expressed: "When we read we always learn new words in addition to words that have other meanings. It was good. Reading is fun!"

The NCB Foundation donated $80,000 worth of books, a computer and a multimedia projector to upgrade and improve the library facilities at the school. This was done in an effort to provide an environment for the students to learn and improve their reading skills.