On Saturday, April 11, 2026, the Newtown AYLUS members organized and led a reading session for elementary school students. During this meeting, the volunteers and children read Wonder by R. J. Palacio, a widely loved 2012 novel that was later adapted into a film.
Rather than choosing a short picture book, the group intentionally selected a longer chapter book to challenge the students, strengthen their literacy skills, and encourage deeper thinking about the overall story’s theme.
Two volunteers worked closely with a small group of six children, creating a supportive and welcoming environment where everyone felt comfortable participating. The students took turns reading aloud, which allowed them to practice fluency while staying engaged with the story plot.
During this session, the group read pages 282-301, where August experiences a complete change at school. Everyone else now accepts him and even treats him like a normal friend. August is called down by Mr. Tushman and they have a small chat about August’s school experience. During their talk August pointed out that Mr. Tushman had a painting of his hanging on the wall. While Mr. Tushman was trying to find a hidden meaning behind August’s portrait as an animal he said it was simple because he though he looked like a duck. Soon it was graduation time and August and Jack walk in together. Mr. Tushman started his lengthy address and the graduation ceremony had officially begun.
With the volunteers’ support, the students were able to follow the storyline clearly and thoughtfully discuss the characters’ emotions and challenges.
Overall, the session was highly successful. Compared to previous sessions, the children demonstrated noticeable growth in both confidence and reading ability. Their enthusiasm for the story, combined with the academic progress they showed, made the experience especially meaningful for both the students and the volunteers.
Participating members included Kylee Guo (event leader), Edward Soong, each contributing one volunteer hour.