Betty Garcia from HISD’s Student Assessment Department reads aloud from “Nugget & Fang,” by Tammi Sauer, to Rodriguez ES students.

On the last two days of every work week, between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., you’ll find members of HISD’s Student Assessment Department making their way across the busy intersection of Chimney Rock and Glenmont.

Why are they braving the lunch hour traffic? To get to Rodriguez Elementary School, on the other side of the street.

Last month, Rodriguez Principal Elena Martinez-Buley launched a new Reading Buddy Partnership with Student Assessment in support of the district’s Literacy By 3 movement, and now, more than a dozen volunteers from that department visit the school twice a month to read to students during their lunchtime.

“Since this department is across the street from my school, I thought it would be convenient for them and beneficial to our kids,” explained Martinez-Buley. “My librarian, Ms. Moak, agreed to coordinate it, and she tells me that the kids really look forward to their lunch sessions.”

“It’s been kind of fun,” said Beryl Broom, a student assessment specialist. “I used to work in a life skills classroom and I really miss that. This is an opportunity to go back to those days.”