LLI GOLINE/NORMAN WELLS
Catarina Owen believes how important it is to practice, especially when it comes to learning new skills.

Catarina Owen, former chair of the Norman Wells library board, received an NWT Ministerial Literacy Award last week for her work to promote literacy. - photo courtesy of Catarina Owen

That's why the former chair of the Norman Wells library board says she helped to develop a program that encouraged young children to practice reading.

Dubbed the Early Literacy Program, the project was held once a week at the Norman Wells Community Library. It focused on children aged 4 and 5, Owen said.

"We just saw the need in the community. A lot of the board members had little kids that were entering kindergarten," she said. "We just saw the need to ensure all the kids were at a good level, at a similar level."

The program was held at the library and offered youth a variety of activities intended to promote literacy.

"We would do book work, so we work on letters," Owen said. "We would do a craft and we would read a book, the craft was relating to numbers and letters."

Thanks to the program, kindergarten students had a time and a place to practice the reading skills they were learning at school.

"Most of the learning did take place in the classroom, it was just practicing what they learned in class," Owen said. "They're really young kids so they don't have homework. It was just, 'Let's make this fun and practice what we've learned and improve on that.'"

The project is just one of the programs Owen helped bring to life during her time on the library board, according to the territorial Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

She also helped secure funding for the library's expansion and developed a variety of other literacy programs, one of which incorporated traditional knowledge.

Last week, Owen received an NWT Ministerial Literacy Award in the volunteer educator category for her work.

"This year's winner of the NWT Ministerial Literacy Award volunteer educator category has selflessly devoted her own time and energy to help make literacy a way of life in the community of Norman Wells," a press release from the department stated. "As president, she worked hard to secure new funding to expand the library and to start new literacy programming, including seasonal literacy events, traditional knowledge and literacy events, lunch literacy programs, special programs on Sunday for students struggling with literacy at the kindergarten level, and the list goes on."

Owen moved from Norman Wells to Inuvik in July and said she is hoping to join literacy programming in her new community.

In the meantime, her influence in Norman Wells won't soon be forgotten.

"Her leadership and enthusiasm has inspired many residents to get involved with the library and has made a big impact in a small community with limited resources and activities for children and youth," the release stated.

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