Grissom School students read 95,450 minutes in 10 days

Grissom School students read
95,450 minutes in 10 days

OLD BRIDGE — Virgil I. Grissom Elementary School students got an especially high rate of return on their investment in a fund-raising reading program. Specifically, they had their principal read to them from the roof.

With the encouragement of parents, teachers and Christine Delancey, educational consultant for Usborne Books at Home, the reading program had the students "reaching for the stars."

Reach for the Stars is a pledge-based reading incentive program that puts books into the hands of children and rewards them for reading, as well as benefiting the organization in the form of cash and/or books. RFTS, sponsored by Usborne Books at Home, challenged Grissom students from kindergarten through fifth grade to pledge a minimum of 30 minutes reading time per day for 10 days.

The RFTS program offers a 110 percent return on the investment of the sponsors. Grissom School used 100 percent of the money collected to purchase new books for the school library. The remaining 10 percent was used to purchase books to use as incentives for the top readers and collectors in each class. Grissom School had a 70 percent participation rate with 186 student participating and raised $2,496 to purchase new books for the school library.

After the RFTS program officially ended, the children were encouraged to continue their reading efforts. Those children who read 600 minutes — as opposed to 300 — were able to attend a kickball game on May 15. An additional reward was offered for reading 900 minutes or more, and 206 children who accomplished that goal earned an invitation to see Kimberly Giles, Grissom School’s principal, go on the school roof June 13 to read a story.

All in all, the students of Grissom School read a grand total of 95,450 minutes in 10 days.

Those interested in the RFTS Program should contact Christine Delancey at booksulove2read@aol.com.