A Message From Your President
Cheryl L. Borovitcky

“Books may be the only real magic!”
                                  -Alice Hoffman

Dear Fellow OCIRA Members and Friends:

It’s hard to believe that we are well into the second half of this school year and welcoming the newness of spring! I hope your school year is going well and continues to be rich in literacy activities with your students.

This year’s edition of the Ohio Reading Teacher should be distributed soon and promises to be informative for all readers. Scholarship recipients have been chosen and will be highlighted on our site in the weeks ahead. We are hoping each local council will nominate one council member to our Ohio Reading Hall of Fame. Each local president has the needed application and should forward your nominee to Tracy Alley by the end of this school year. All presidents are also reminded to submit your Honor Council form to me by June 30th.This is an attainable goal for all and we hope you will make an effort to apply.

Don’t forget to “Join the Circle of Knowledge @ Your Library” as is themed this year’s National Library Week, April 13-19. This is a perfect time to create a circle of readers in your classroom after visiting your library.

Our spring Executive Board meeting has been scheduled for April 19th.  Details have been mailed to all board members. We plan to continue our council business at this meeting. All committee chairs not attending should send me a final report before this meeting so I can share your work with the group. I would like to extend my appreciation to all who volunteer their time to serve as board members, committee chairs, and representatives. Your collaborative work is what keeps our council effective. You, along with our local council officers, show such dedication to our mission of promoting literacy in Ohio.

Registration is now going on for the 53rd IRA Annual Convention, “Engaging Learners in Literacy”, which will be held May 4-8 in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues who share our passion for literacy. This convention offers the chance to hear well-known speakers and authors at the general  sessions and break-outs. Visit www.reading.org for details.

I encourage everyone to begin planning Right to Read activities with your students. The theme this year,  “Read and Celebrate” will be underway throughout our state the week of May 12-16. 

With that in mind, I hope you will continue to keep the spirit of reading and the love of good books at the heart of your classroom, school, library or office and make the remainder of your school year a success for all!

Cheryl Borovitcky
OCIRA President