MARYSVILLE – As an elementary school volunteer, Marnie Hargraves, 56, has joined in her share of the playground games of four square the past 11 years.
She has listened to dozens of children read.
She has graded papers and helped youngsters mold stegosauruses from homemade dough.
Michael O’Leary / The Herald
Mainly, she has been a steady presence for Pinewood Elementary School students who want an adult to chat with.
More recently, she has been a “lunch buddy,” meeting once a week with the same child for food and conversation. She has followed some students for years.
Hargraves is one of many Pinewood volunteers who do not have children attending the school. It has been a breath of fresh air for someone who spent more than 25 years working in the criminal justice system, where she could see firsthand the toll of misguided lives.
“You can have the worst day possible, and you go to the school, and they are just so glad to see you. It makes all your troubles go away,” Hargraves said.
Ask fifth-grader Catherine Banks what her favorite book is, and she’ll think a moment. She settles on “Walk 2 Moons” by Sharon Creech.
“She gave it to me,” Catherine said, nodding toward Hargraves, her lunch buddy. “I didn’t want to read it at first, but when I did read it, it became my favorite.”
Other volunteers say a weekly visit to the school can be therapeutic and fulfilling.
At Pinewood, volunteers can find their niche from among several options. There are rolling readers, reading buddies, lunch buddies, big buddies from the high school, classroom volunteers, tutors and clubs.
Thumb through the volunteer visitor log, and a couple dozen names pop up on any given day.
“When you open the door, it catches on,” said Breeze Williams, Pinewood’s principal. “People know they are welcome.”
Fourth-grader Mathias Sanderlin, 10, looks forward to his weekly lunch buddy visits with Hugh Fleet, who works in the school district’s central office.
“For me, it’s just like a special treat on Thursday,” Mathias said.
The other day, Fleet surprised him with a Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza, remembering that it is Mathias’ favorite, and they flipped through a joke book.
“All there is, is just other kids and no one else to talk to at lunch,” Mathias said between bites. “Sometimes it’s really fun to have an adult to talk to.”
Mary Sebring’s children are grown and gone, but she finds her way back to Pinewood, where her youngest, now 23, once roamed the playground.
Sebring is part of the school’s rolling readers program. She received training on what to watch for and how to record observations when she listens to children read one on one in the library. Her notes are reviewed by the school’s reading specialist.
The volunteer enjoys each of the four children she works with. Watching their skills improve to where they self-correct a mispronunciation on a long or tricky word is especially rewarding.
Yet, the lure is more than words on paper and the satisfaction of helping a child academically. There is also the chance to connect on a personal level by giving them her undivided attention.
“They are wonderful kids,” she said. “I consider them friends.”
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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