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Ruth Bonneville / Free Press LOCAL - young readers Photo of 9-year-old Vienna Spencer (hat) and Sofia Elena Mena Copete, 11, reading books to K - grade 2 students in the Library at Robert H. Smith School Friday. YOUNG READERS: A duo of elementary schoolers in River Heights has spent much of the month reading stories about Black characters and experiences to younger peers — a project the girls pitched to their principal at the start of February. New student-led readalouds at Robert H. Smith are ensuring community members can simultaneously celebrate Black History Month and I Love to Read Month. Nine-year-old Vienna Spencer and Sofia Elena Mena Copete, 11, have been scanning their personal and school library bookshelves with a mission to better educate other children on Black Canadians’ struggles and accomplishments. By the end of the month, they will have visited all 14 of their school's classes, in addition to joining several reading buddy groups and speaking at an end-of-February assembly. Their roster of books includes Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o, I Am Enough by Grace Byers and three titles belonging to the Little People, Big Dreams series — on civil rights activist Rosa Parks, jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald and author Maya Angelou, respectively. February 21st, 2025