Unplugged! Family Literacy Night

Unplugged took over Duclos School this past Thursday evening, with hundreds of kids and their parents in attendance. Hosted by the Bonnyville Community Learning Council and the Bonnyville Library, the free event celebrates National Family Literacy Day by engaging kids with activities, games and books, rather than devices and technology.

“We just keep growing and growing,” Nicole Ferbey, with the Bonnyville Community Learning Council says in it’s sixth year Unplugged is only getting better. “We had it at the library for two years and out grew the library. Then we had it at Notre Dame Elementary and we out grew Notre Dame, and that’s why we moved it to Duclos.” The layout of Duclos Elementary is more open, making it easier to host the event as it continues to grow, explains Ferby.

Response has been unbelievable, “they always come out. It grows in leaps and bounds,” Ferby notes some of the groups that have come on board to help, including the Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs. “We always have the Pontiacs here, they are our literacy leaders.”

The event stems from a neighbouring community, explains Ferbey, “I would always attend the Festival of Words, in Cold Lake, and I knew we could do that in Bonnyville.” Bringing the idea to Bonnyville, the community quickly got on board, “community partners started to come.”

“We love seeing the engagement. The event is not just for kids that go to Duclos, it’s for everyone and we love seeing all the families out,” Ferbey says you can expect the event yearly on or around the 27th of January.