Summer Reading Challenge

What a treat: Sprinkles, candy corn, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a literal cherry on top! The reward for the participants of the 2023 GIS Summer Reading Challenge was a full spread ice cream sundae bar. Students had to read for 520 minutes over the summer to earn the reward. That is more than 8 ½ hours!

How do you get kids to do anything for that long? Our Reading Challenge made it easy. The students recorded their reading time on sheets in 10-minute increments. If they hit the 520-minute mark, they qualified for the ice cream treat. And 56 of our students did, from all reading levels (1st through 5th grade). But that’s not all: If they reached the next tiers at 780, 1,040, or 1,100 minutes, they could win more prizes. 

Forty one kids made it all the way to the top tier, reading more than 18 hours, and were rewarded with a movie event, with obligatory popcorn! 

More than half of the 41 top prize-winning students actually clocked well over the required amount with 2,000 minutes or more; the top student recorded 8,000 minutes, which is like reading for five days straight. No rewards needed – reading itself is apparently a treat!