THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411080098
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA MCNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CARRSVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
The roar of little engines just starting on the road to a good education created a crescendo in the cafetorium of Carrsville Elementary School.
And that's exactly what reading specialist Becky Worrell was looking forward to, as she stood among the checkered flags adorning the stage and smiled.
``Students - start your engines!'' Worrell said, as the children duplicated the sounds of excitement at an auto race track.
Worrell was setting the stage for the introduction of project CRUISE, an acronym for ``Children Read, Understand and Improve Skills Enthusiastically,'' and the unveiling of the official CRUISE computer car.
The car, bright red and well splashed with racing decals, is an actual front end of what once was a real race car, a Pontiac Grand Prix. In it's retirement at Carrsville Elementary, the car will house a computer with an array of computer programs designed to help students improve their reading skills.
Youngsters will sit in the driver's seat and, with help from a parent volunteer, work on the basic skills of reading so many children find difficult when they are beginning to learn.
The car, with a Carrsville Bulldog, the school's mascot, emblazoned on its hood, was unveiled by NASCAR driver and 25-year-old South Boston native Hermie Sadler.
``How many of you know what you want to be when you grow up?'' Sadler asked the children. ``When I was growing up I wanted to be a race car driver, and that's what I am. But before that, I went to elementary school and to high school and college. I don't care what you want to do, you have to be able to read and write if you're going to meet your goals.''
Sadler, NASCAR Penrose Busch Series Grand National Division Rookie of the Year in 1993, was chosen for the unveiling because of the racing theme, Worrell said.
And he was also chosen because he has set an example for students everywhere, she said. He worked his college education into his racing schedule. Besides being a successful driver, he also holds a degree in industrial relations from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
``This is an awesome car,'' Sadler said from the stage. ``I think it will go a long way toward helping you become a better reader and a better writer.''
Project CRUISE was born of an idea Worrell had last year when Union Camp Corp. offered a pre-college grant. She first went to school principal Debra Hicks with the idea, she said. When Hicks approved, she went to the teachers.
The idea originally was to gear CRUISE toward at-risk first- and second-graders, those younger students having a hard time getting off the starting line, Worrell said. When the $5,725 grant was approved by Union Camp, however, the local company asked that the project be expanded to include all students at the school.
That element of the project was boosted when Victor Story, who races at Southampton Speedway and owns a local auto shop, volunteered to build and donate the car to house a computer. The money set aside for the car housing was used to purchase computer software for the high grades, Worrell said.
But Worrell's idea hit some bumps in the road to success.
``When Mrs. Worrell first came to me with this idea, I thought she was crazy,'' Story said, laughing. ``A lot of the parts came off of my own race car. I had kind of a rough season.''
The students would never have guessed that when they saw the blemish-free, shiny red car sitting on the stage with decals for headlights and tires and a printed list of names on the side that included Worrell as part of the ``pit crew.''
``Have you ever had a dream or a vision?'' she asked the students. ``I had a dream last year. I wanted a computer car. Now, look what I've got.''
The CRUISE car was a team effort, Worrell said. Hicks approved of the idea. The teachers supported it. Union Camp funded it. Story designed it. Reuben Johns, technology specialist for the county schools, helped select the computer, software and helped to set it up. And parents already have volunteered to man the passenger's seat of the car and work with the children.
The car, after it is introduced to other parents at an upcoming PTA meeting, will be housed - er, garaged - in a special room near the school's library, decorated in curtains patterned after checkered flags. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Hermie Sadler introduces Project CRUISE to George ``T.J.'' Jernigan
Jr.
by CNB