Congratulations to our first 2026 Success Story tutoring duo: fourth grader Lemy and her tutor Margaret Detwiler.

Sometimes it is just one little bit of news that leads to a tutoring pair being selected for recognition, as happened when Lemy’s mother, Maria, forwarded a note from Lemy’s reading teacher to us a few weeks ago. Lemy’s Oral Reading Fluency assessment improved 49 words per minute with 98% accuracy from her fall assessment! Good news for sure, especially after a long break during the summer when Lemy went to stay with her father, and Margaret worried that her twice-weekly sessions at the Waldoboro Library with Lemy might not resume. But in the fall, they reconnected, and Lemy and Margaret got back to work.  

Lemy knows her time with Margaret makes a big difference. "Since I've been working with Margaret, I've been getting better at reading big words,” wrote Lemy. “I wasn't good at reading chapter books but I'm now good at it. If we have extra time, we play a game. My favorite game is Balance Beans." 

For her part, Margaret shared, “I've noticed that Lemy has really improved at tackling unknown words with a variety of strategies, rather than substituting a similar known word. She's grown in confidence as a reader and comes to our sessions full of energy, always doing her best. I'm very proud of her progress over the past year and look forward to keeping our momentum going in 2026.”

And from Maria, “It was a blessing to find the Midcoast Literacy program and honestly you made it so easy and accessible…Working with Margaret alongside her elementary teachers and home experiences helps me support Lemy and get her back in the groove. It really does take a village and again thank you for bridging that gap for our family!” 

We look forward to more good news from Lemy and Margaret as their second year together unfolds.