Newtown Students Cited For Summer Reading Performance

Students from Newtown Middle School were recognized at the State Capitol for being among Connecticut’s most voracious summer readers. Newtown Middle School was recognized as one of the 25 top performing schools in the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge for 2001. Governor John Rowland met with students from the schools, presented awards, and announced that participating students read more than two million books last summer — an increase of 200,000-plus books from the previous year.

Gov Rowland initiated the program in June 1996, inviting all of Connecticut’s students in both public and nonpublic schools to read as many books as possible during the summer months. “After all,” the governor said, “summer vacation shouldn’t be a vacation from learning.” The Summer Reading Challenge is now an annual event.

Of the 1,220 middle school students, 1,159 participated by reading 9,272 books. Two elementary schools also participated. Middle Gate had 174 of its 557 students read 4,325 books, while 248 of the 760 students that read 3,605 books.

More than 200,000 students from more than 800 schools reported reading more than two million books. Results from all participating schools are available on the Department of Education’s website at www.state.ct.sde. Metlife provided a $200 grant to each winning school for the purchase of more books.