BY JOLYN EMERSON

This year the students at North Park Elementary were challenged to read over ONE MILLION minutes! If they completed the task, they were promised the opportunity of having a hot air balloon come to their school. With this goal in mind, each student would need to actively participate by reading for at least 20 minutes or more each night. At the conclusion of each week, the students turned in the total number of reading minutes to their teacher. Teachers would then record the minutes and see if they could beat the other classes within their grade level. This was a lot of fun because the class with the most minutes would receive a trophy and a treat! This encouraged the students to keep their eye on the prize as the year progressed. This certainly was a team effort and required help from teachers, the reading specialist, and the librarian. We also commend the parents who assisted and helped guide their children to read and record diligently. Lastly, we give a big shout-out to our wonderful principal, Mr. Abney, and an exceptional thanks to the “TAKE A BALLOON TO SCHOOL” K-12 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM for making this celebratory event possible. Keep reading!