Reading for Fun, Reading to Learn
Norco’s Partners in Education (PIE) Day brings the joy of reading to life as employees volunteer in local classrooms, inspiring young minds through storytelling and connection. By sharing their time and passion, volunteers help spark curiosity, build confidence, and encourage a lifelong love of learning—while strengthening meaningful ties between Shell and the surrounding community.
The kids are quiet, excited and everyone seems to be smiling when it’s Partners in Education (PIE) Day at Norco Elementary School. Norco volunteers spend time in the classroom reading aloud, displaying illustrations, and answering a question or two as students experience the joys of reading.
It’s a fun experience for the volunteers, too. For Norco employee and Norco Elementary alum Lauren Carruth, the experience is nostalgic. “I like volunteering for the PIE reading program because I went to Norco Elementary, and I can remember as a kid how excited we would get when Shell employees would come to the school to do different activities with us, and now I can give back and do the same for the kids today,” she says. “Reading to them might be a small gesture but you never know how much you might be influencing them in a positive way. My favorite book to read to them is any book that makes them laugh. It warms my heart when I can put a smile on all their faces…it makes my day that much brighter.”
“Reading is a past time that can teach you something, take you to a far away place, enhance your vocabulary, and stimulate your imagination,” says volunteer reader Dianne Swiber, who shares her love of reading and her memories of reading to her children with the kids at Norco Elementary.
“The children are very inquisitive,” she says. “They ask so many questions about Shell and the work we do. Many of them tell me about the family members they have working at the plant. The questions could go on forever, but they are very polite and attentive during the reading and when we finish, we generally discuss what the theme of the story was and what we learned from it. We also talk about any new vocabulary words they might have learned by reading the book. It’s a great experience for all of us.”
Norco Elementary School, Harry Hurst Middle School, and Destrehan High School are Norco’s Partner in Education schools.
