Program encourages students to read more

The Churchill County elementary schools are wrapping up a six-week reading program called Reading Across Nevada.

The railway-themed reading challenge began Jan. 20 and ends Friday.

Lahontan Elementary School librarian Jennifer Sanches said she appreciates any program that encourages students to read.

Sanches said the students receive a train ticket (not a real train ticket) for each book they read for a chance to enter a weekly raffle to win a book.

“The more they read the more tickets they will receive,” Sanches said. “Paperback scholastic books are provided for the weekly raffle winners.”

On the tickets the students write their name, teacher, grade, book title and author and a short summary of the book they read.

She said each week four students from each grade level that submit raffle tickets are drawn to win a book.

Sanches said at Lahontan she has designed the program to help teachers and students by having students read books that are relevant to what the teachers are teaching. She said the students also participate in advanced reading.

“I even created a train map that shows the students where each grade level is at,” Sanches said. “The students love coming in and checking to see where their grades train is located on the map. Currently the second-grade classes are in the lead with 692 books read.”

Although the program is available to each student, not all students participate but all students were encouraged.

At the end of the challenge each school will tally up its tickets to find out which class out of all of the schools read the most books. Whichever school wins the entire student body will receive a book to keep.

On March 6 the school that has read the most books by Friday will have a special 30-minute assembly for each grade, Sanches said.

“A special visitor, not yet determined, will read to the students while the book with pictures is projected on to a big screen,” she said. “After the special visitor is finished reading to the students the students will then be able to pick a free scholastic paperback book to take home.”

Sanches said since the program started back in January she has noticed book circulation in the library has picked up.

“I’ve also noticed students who weren’t so fond of reading being more engaged with the books and wanting to read more,” she said. “The teachers have said their students are more excited and their attitudes are very positive when it comes to reading. I think everyone has seen improvements all around with the students.”