Janice Smith, 97, of Glen Rock is still going to school.

She spends a day each week at Friendship Elementary School, where she listens to students in Phyllis Hildebrand's first-grade classroom practice their reading skills.

"I love the kids and I love listening to them read," she said.

Books and reading have always been a part of Smith's life.

"I have always liked to read. My mother always read to me when I was growing up, and I always read to my children," she said.

She and her husband, the late Bruce Smith, raised three sons. She read to them as they were growing up, and as each of her five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren came along, she read to them too. Children in the neighborhood were also included

First-grader Destiny Kroft, left, reads with 83-year-old Marie Peek at Friendship Elementary School in the Southern district. Several senior citizens volunteer their time as friendly reading companions. (Weekly Record - Paul Kuehnel)
in her "story circle."

"I read to children every chance I get," she said. "There were two children who lived across the street, and I used to read to them. They moved away and oh, I miss them so much. They called me Granny Smith. The children couldn't think of what to call me and then their mother brought home some Granny Smith apples and they started calling me Granny Smith."

Smith volunteered for the school program when it began in 1995. She spent four years at Southern Elementary School before moving to Friendship Elementary, where she was assigned to Hildebrand's classroom.

"Mrs. Hildebrand is my teacher now, and I've been coming to her room for 10 years," Smith said with a smile.

Smith has become a permanent fixture in Hildebrand's classroom, and that seems to be just fine with everyone.

"I am so glad to have her here. She is wonderful with the children. She is very sharp," Hildebrand said.

At the end of each school year, the students give Smith a special handmade "thank you" gift. She has received everything from an apron painted with each child's handprint to bound books of letters from the students, Hildebrand said.

Smith was originally joined by Teresa Wolf and Frances Bonavich. Both have since passed away.

Now, Nelva Ackman and Marie Peek, both of Shrewsbury, visit other classes at Friendship, and when their classroom work is completed, the three women often go to the South Central Senior Community Center for lunch.

Smith and the other readers listen to each of the children read individually, and it is obvious they enjoy the one-on-one time they spend together.

"I help them with the difficult words," said Smith, gently prompting them with her soft voice.

She compliments each child, saying things like "That was very good. If you practice a little bit, next week you will be perfect." Her words prompt smiles from the young readers.

Friendship's principal, Beth Koontz, considers the program a huge success.

"It

Janice Smith says she enjoys hearing the first-graders develop their reading skills, progressing from simple words to harder ones. 'I help them with the difficult words,' she said with a smile. (Weekly Record - Paul Kuehnel)
helps with the children's self-esteem, to have the undivided attention of an adult. They can showcase this new skill and be the center of attention," Koontz said.

"The children look forward to the Tuesday morning visits . . . I'll bet if you ask the older students about it, they will say they remember these Tuesday morning visits with these volunteers," Koontz said.

The Tuesday morning reading sessions are certainly special for Smith, who hopes to continue them for a long time to come.

"I just love being with the children," she said.

Joshua Amara and Jason Martin, both 6, said they enjoy reading with Smith.

"See you next week!" Jason said to "Granny" as he finished his book.

'Positive outlook and a smile'

JANICE SMITH BEGAN HER VOLUNTEER WORK at Southern Elementary School, where she spent four years in Bonnie Sipes Nicklow's classroom. "My first-graders always looked forward to reading to Mrs. Smith. They said it was just like reading to their grandma. She didn't criticize their reading when they made mistakes, just listened patiently to them. Those few minutes spent with her went by quickly for them. It was a quiet time they looked forward to," Nicklow said.

On the rare occasion that Smith was not there, the children always asked why, and bad weather didn't keep her away. If the children were there, Smith was there, Nicklow said.

"When most people her age were inclined to sit back and let others do the work, she was ready to serve, always with a positive outlook and a smile. We could all learn a lot from Mrs. Smith's example. She never sat by idly when she saw there was work to be done," Nicklow said.

Other hobbies

IN ADDITION TO READING, Smith spends her spare time knitting and crocheting. She makes lap robes for residents of the Shrewsbury Lutheran Home and caps for the mitten tree at Zion Lutheran Sunday School. She is active in her church and a member of the Glen Rock Women's Club.

She watches television and laments the cancellation of The Guiding Light, one of her favorite programs.

"My mother and father listened to it on the radio and started to watch it when they first got television. It came on at 3 o'clock, and I always made sure I was home to watch it. It was so homelike, with old ideas and family values," she said.