Spring ISD board members took the occasion of their first meeting of the new year to honor the winners of Spring ISD’s “Chill Out and Read” Winter Break Reading Contest, open to all elementary and middle school students across the district.
“Over the holiday break, we did not want the learning to stop, and our students took up the challenge,” Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Workforce Development Matt Pariseau told trustees. “We challenged elementary and middle school students to choose their favorite books and take some time to ‘chill out and read.’”
Students used the myON e-reader app – available to them on the Spring ISD student portal – with access to more than 6,000 books. Both Spanish and English books are available on the platform for students to read and enjoy all year long, though only books read by students during the Winter Break contest dates count toward the challenge.
Altogether, Spring ISD students who participated in the contest read over 6,210 books and spent more than 59,000 minutes reading over the holiday break – a collective total of over 983 hours spent reading. The top campus spot overall went to Booker Elementary School, led by Principal Keisha Womack, where students spent an amazing total of 19,308 minutes reading – more than 321 hours.
Student winners were named in two categories at both the elementary and middle school level – most minutes spent on books at or above grade level, and most total books read at or above grade level.
The student winners each received a trophy and an Amazon Kindle tablet, while the elementary and middle school campuses where students spent the most time reading each received a campus trophy and a banner to hang in front of the school in honor of the school’s achievement and in celebration of the power of literacy to drive educational outcomes.
“As part of our strategic plan we focus on literacy, and we have a multi-faceted approach to that,” Pariseau said. “One aspect we know is that when students have the ability to read, that their literacy rates continue to grow and expand in their learning.”
Trustees also had the opportunity to congratulate the winning students attending the meeting together with their families. Board members asked the students about their favorite books, about their reading habits in general, and students shared favorite quotes and topics from the books they had read during the contest.
Pariseau also congratulated the parents of the winning students and thanked them for their encouragement of literacy at home.
“We know that you gave a lot of support as well to make this happen,” Pariseau said.
The individual and campus winners for this year’s contest are as follows:
Elementary Level:
- Enrique Sanchez, Grade 4, from Booker Elementary won for the most minutes spent reading at or above grade level.
- Aariz Hussain, Grade 2, from Marshall Elementary won for the most books read at or above grade level.
- Booker Elementary, led by Principal Keisha Womack, was the winning campus, with students spending 19,308 minutes reading.
Middle School Level:
- Gustavo Rodriguez, Grade 6, from Roberson Middle School won for the most minutes spent reading at or above grade level.
- Jessica Ezuma, Grade 6, from Spring Leadership Academy won for the most books read at or above grade level.
- Roberson Middle School, led by Principal Cecelia Brumsey, was the winning campus, with students spending 1,432 minutes reading.