ROME, GA— The cheers in the Main Elementary gymnasium, Thursday November 3, were in celebration and pure amusement as students were rewarded for reaching their “Wild About Reading” goals.
For the third year of their reading incentive program, students at Main have met and surpassed their goal; and in record time this year!
Reading Incentive Director, Julie Reid, said that she created a goal of 10,000 books to be read by Christmas; as of Thursday, students at Main had reached 14,510 books. Reid said that the goal had originally been 5,000 books by Christmas, but Main students quickly showed her that they would need a bigger challenge.
Reid said a reward was definitely due! The Principal Challenge celebration kicked-off with a cornhole competition between Principal Dr. LaRoyce Sublett, and none other than Willie the Wolf himself. As bean bags were tossed across the gym, Willie and Sublett were sure to include plenty of fun, competitive banter back and forth. The excitement from the bleachers was heightened with each turn.
Sublett eventually took the win and the kids went wild.
“That was exciting,” Sublett smiled. “I had a great time. The kids were all curious about what cornhole was. They thought we were going to eat corn out of a hole,” he laughed.
“I am very proud of these kids,” he added. “They have been trying to meet their goals for reading and it’s been great to see that with everything going on, reading is a focus, and they are working hard to achieve those goals.”
Reid explained that the younger kids are responsible for reading at least 15-20 minutes each night, and keeping their reading log updated, while the older grade level students also take a reading comprehension quiz.
Prizes are awarded as each nine-week goal is met. Prizes include items like frisbees and a T-shirt, as well as activities like an ice cream sundae party and a field trip.
“We want to associate reading with fun, that’s why we’ve added the principal challenges so that they associate reading, not with tests, but with fun activities, fun books, and nurturing family events,” Reid explained.
The two top-readers for each grade (K-sixth) got the chance to try their hand at cornhole with a quick toss, as Willie the Wolf and Sublett cheered them on! They each received a prize for their accomplishments as well.
Reid explained that Main Elementary also has signature walls and photo walls that recognize reading goals as students’ progress and achieve. She said that those creative ways of recognizing students have really fueled the students’ reading efforts.
“We are super proud of these students and the teachers,” Reid said. “The teachers have raised the goal in the last three years. We have surpassed our goals each year.”
“None of this would be possible without the support and encouragement of their teachers along with their parents,” Sublett said. “They’ve made it an initiative to have our kids ready for reading by grade three as a focus for the school system; they’re working hard to make sure that’s a reality as well. The teachers have really been putting in the work and the effort to have our kids focus on reading.”