ECS TOP 12 READERS SMASH THE READING CHALLENGE

ECS language teacher Mrs. Janet Swank, challenges her students to read 1,000 pages per school year. (That number is prorated for new students coming in later in the year.) This year, of the 43 participants, 100% of her students in 3rd through 6th grade met that goal; each reading 1,000 pages. My Goodness! But wait, there’s more; out of the 43 students; 12 read over 7,000 pages, EACH!
While the thought of how many words that actually is; let’s talk about the requirements; Mrs. Swank requires the first 1000 pages to be grade-level biographies or children’s classics (which she has available in her classroom) or similar books owned by the student which is authorized by Mrs. Swank prior to reading. Once they reached 2,000 pages, she allows a few fun titles as rewards for such “serious reading!”
Mrs. Swank shared that, “The El Dorado Springs Community Foundation awarded our school a grant that helped purchase over 140 titles, mostly award-winning Who Was/What Was book series, which the students were excited to read.” This excitement “…motivated her students to read…” over 130,000 pages!
Mrs. Swank thought 1,000 pages read was a great goal; 3,000 pages, pretty awesome, but 7,000 pages!?! These students are what Mrs. Swank calls “Super Readers!” There were two who read over 12,000 pages, another over 21,000 and one “Colossal Super Reader” who read a whopping total of 26,706 pages! “Heavens-to-Betsy parents, what are you feeding these kids?! They are honestly “Super Humans!”
The AWESOME results of the 2021-2022 Reading Challenge; “Epic Colossal Super Reader”- 5th grader, Miss Tirzah Pietersen, read 26,706 pages, taking 1stplace overall. “Mammoth Super Reader”-5th grader, Trey Watkins, 2nd place overall, reading a whopping 21,197 pages. “Gigantic Super Readers”- 5th grader, Grace Hubbard, reading 13, 887 pages, won 3rd place overall; 4th place overall, 5th grader, Kaidyn Asmus, with 12,451 pages; 5th place overall, 3rd grader, Judd Lawson with 9, 751 pages read; coming in 6th place overall, 5th grader, Payton Bland, reading 8,745 pages; and 7th place overall goes to, 6th grader, Alayna Gingerich with a total of 8, 255 pages.
Students who exceeded the challenge by reading over 7,000 pages: Aleta Lyness (7,219), Claira Dodson (7,651), Shane Geigley (7,435), Josie Wyant (7,733) and Lucy Goodyear (7, 095). Pictured with their teacher Mrs. Janet Swank (far right); l-r: front row: 3rd grader, Claira Dodson; 3rd grader, Judd Lawson; 3rd grader, Shane Geigley; 4th grader, Josie Wyant and 4th grader, Lucy Goodyear. Back row: ECS Principal, Mrs. Kelly Bryson, 5th grader, Trey Watkins; 6th grader, Aleta Lyness; 6th grader, Alayna Gingerich; 5th grader, Payton Bland; 5th grader, Kaidyn Asmus; 5th grader, Tirzah Pietersen and 5th grader, Grace Hubbard. Principal Bryson and Mrs. Swank shared at the ECS Awards Assembly that, “we are extremely proud of these amazing students…what an outstanding accomplishment! Congratulations to each of you; also to every parent and teacher who love them!”