Yesterday was the last day of school for students of Irving Elementary, and that meant an assembly honoring their scholastic achievements.
An accelerated reading program at Irving Elementary School began six years ago, including an initiative from community sponsors to provide prizes for strong readers.
Students earned points for the number of pages they read and scores on comprehension quizzes, and then those points translated to prizes.
Principal Larry Perlman says this year, 12 students read 1 million words and were awarded with bicycles for their hard work.
“The first year we did it we actually had one student make the goal,” says Perlman. “Now it has become more a part of what we are about at Irving, in terms of getting kids to read more. I mean we have kids who go out to recess who bring books with them.”
Among this year’s high-achieving readers were 5th graders Kayla Mendoza, who read more than 2 million words and Leslye Paz, who received a bike for the second year in a row, and read more than 4 million words.
Bicycles were also given to two students with perfect attendance this past semester.