High school teens are teaching elementary students the importance of reading this summer. One Stone, a student-led, Boise non-profit, hosted an open-book adventures camp for first, second and third graders. This is the first time One Stone volunteers have hosted the camp. The organization usually holds reading and writing activities for kids after school during the school year.

“This camp is designed to foster a love for reading, writing and literature for kids who often aren’t exposed to what books can be,” said Jesse Remeis, a senior at Boise High School. “This is a really cool opportunity for everyone involved, especially the people at One Stone.”

Twenty-three kids from different schools in the Treasure Valley participated in the camp, including Adam Standard, a second grader at Horizon Elementary School.

“I get to read and we get to fill up the reading jar with rocks every time we finish a book,” he said. “We also get to play in the forts and read under the tents.”

The three-day camp was funded by the Whittenberger Foundation and Boise Sunrise Rotary Club, allowing the kids to attend for free.

“It’s really cool to see the kids get excited about reading and you can tell they are getting a lot out of this camp,” Remeis said. “Our goal is to get kids to like books – allowing the magic of words that you can bring into your life.”

Note: One Stone and Idaho Education News are funded by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.