(bright music) - We're gonna read a new chapter, or do you wanna read something we've already read before?

- A new chapter.

- [Dara] They sit in the same spot every week in the library at Benton Heights Elementary School, flipping through pages and sounding out words.

- Frames, good.

- Frames.

- [Dara] If you ask him, Andrew Houlihan will tell you it's a 30-minute reading session he takes very seriously with his first grade buddy.

Houlihan is one of 655 volunteers in Union County Public Schools who dedicate their time to help elementary students in the district become stronger readers.

- Well, it gives me a lot of joy each and every week to come spend time at a local elementary school, really helping to to shape the life of a young first grader, be another trusted adult that he can look up to and have conversations with.

- [Dara] Houlihan isn't just a volunteer, he's the superintendent, which means most of his days are pretty busy from board meetings to managing the district.

However, this is a weekly commitment he finds critical to his success.

- It really helps me stay connected to our children, stay connected to our schools.

Really help kind of bring back the teacher quality of me.

I was a second grade teacher.

- [Dara] He began the Read with You program in 2017 and says it's been primarily in their Title I schools where the overwhelming majority of students are on free or reduced lunch.

- The research points to if children are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade, the likelihood that they are gonna drop out or become incarcerated doubles.

And so for us in Union County Public Schools, it's really important for us to really develop our youngest learners.

- [Dara] Data shows that the district has repeatedly outperformed the state in multiple accountability and testing areas.

According to the North Carolina Department of Education's website, Union County's reading proficiency rate is 63.7%, which means the district is performing over 13% higher than the rest of the state at 50.2%.

- While Read With You is playing a part of that, it's not the only strategy that's contributing to that.

We have phenomenal teachers.

Our school leaders set goals and have wonderful professional development they put our teachers through.

- We're gonna change 'pool' to 'tool'.

Say it, 'tool', tap it.

- [Dara] One of those teachers is Marci Micciantuono at Benton Heights Elementary.

- When the adults in the building believe in the students, the students also rise to that.

They feel that the bar is raised for them.

- [Dara] She's been a teacher at the school for almost a decade and says she has many techniques to help her students succeed.

Like giving them books that match their interests and having them participate in hands-on activities.

But one of the most important is connecting.

- The relationships I've built with students over time, I have students that I had in fourth grade that are now I think juniors in college that come back every break and volunteer in my classroom.

And they've been doing it since they were in high school.

- [Dara] Other bonds that Micciantuono says are important are the ones students build with their Read With You buddies.

- Yay Dan, yay Pam.

Why are they saying yay?

- What the heck?

- [Dara] Just a few miles away at Rocky River Elementary School, Denise Arenas and her 6-year-old buddy are doing just that.

- Okay, what's this book called?

- Dog at the house.

- Good.

- [Dara] With each turn of the page, Arenas helps the first grader to not only become a better reader, but to become more confident too, which she tells me brings her joy.

- I love it because they seem like they like it.

They like the one-on-one attention.

- [Dara] After retiring from 19 years as a preschool teacher, Arenas decided to become a Read With You volunteer last year.

- I'm on the Union County newsletter thing, so I get those and they were looking for reading buddies.

I wanted to do something with kids, so I found that and signed up.

- [Dara] As a mother of three, she was committed to making her own children great readers too.

- We read every night, just about when they were little, and all three of them liked reading.

Now, I have a granddaughter, so I've been doing the same thing with her.

- [Dara] So whether she's reading with her family or with the children in Union County, Arenas says she plans to continue making a difference.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Dara Khalid.