On Friday, February 20, more than 100 Duval County Public Schools' (DCPS) secondary students (grades 6-12) gathered at the downtown branch of the Jacksonville Public Library (JPL) to attend a celebration in honor of their reading success.
In an effort to encourage and increase reading among middle and high school students, DCPS' Division of Academic Services and the JPL hosted a mid-year celebration for students who have met or who are close to meeting the Superintendent's 25 book challenge.
All DCPS' students who read 25 books are eligible to become a member of the Superintendent's Book Club, and are invited to the 7th Annual Reading Celebration, being held Saturday, May 30, at Metropolitan Park, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Students entered the auditorium to music played by the LaVilla School of the Arts string ensemble, and were welcomed to the event and congratulated on their reading success by DCPS' Supervisor of Reading and English Language Arts Rodilyn Bacho-Logsdon, and JPL's Supervisor of Programming Kathy Tekin.
DCPS' Deputy Superintendent, Patricia Willis, presented each student with a certificate of recognition before everyone ventured to an adjoining room where students enjoyed pizza and a hip-hop-inspired presentation by DCPS teacher and local author Vincent “Cornbread” Taylor.
The event was sponsored in part by contributions from Scholastic, who provided food for the reception and books for all students and chaperones, and the Educational Direction, who provided a Nintendo Wii, which was given out during a raffle.
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