Press Releases
05/26/2021
Governor Lamont Launches 2021 Summer Reading Challenge
Winners of the 2020 Summer Reading Challenge Recognized
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut Acting Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker, and Connecticut State Librarian Deborah Schander today announced the launch of the 2021 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge – an annual, statewide program encouraging students to read books during the summer months. This year’s theme is “Tails & Tales.”
“Research indicates that children who do not read during the summer can lose reading progress made during the past school year,” Governor Lamont said. “We want to encourage all students to read, learn, and have fun with books during the summer months.”
“Building confident and proficient readers will put our students on the path to become productive, engaged lifelong learners,” Acting Commissioner Russell-Tucker said. “Congratulations to the 2020 top-performing schools and students. We love to see so many young people putting in the extra work to continue learning and growing over the summer months.”
“Summer is the perfect time for students to explore their personal reading interests and build upon the topics and ideas they encountered during the school year,” Schander said. “As you make your book selections for the summer, we hope you’ll take advantage of the many free resources available to Connecticut students, including the State Library’s eGo eBook platform and your local public libraries.”
Coordinated by the Connecticut State Department of Education in cooperation with the Connecticut State Library, the challenge is a statewide competition for schools based on student population and grade level. Students have read millions of books since the program began in 1996. The summer reading program also supports community initiatives run by local public libraries and recognizes “Outstanding Public Library-School Partnerships.”
Each year, the schools with the highest percentage of participating enrollment and the highest number of books read by participating students at the end of the summer are recognized for their accomplishments.
Recognized today were the top-performing schools in the 2020 Summer Reading Challenge, “Imagine Your Story,” in which 9,576 students participated and read nearly 105,000 books. The top-performing schools from the 2020 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge are:
Elementary Schools
- Booth Free School, Regional School District 12
- Burnham School, Regional School District 12
- Frisbie Elementary School, Wolcott Public Schools
- Goshen Center School, Regional School District 6
- James Morris School, Regional School District 6
- Lee H. Kellogg, Regional School District 1
- Warren School, Regional School District 6
- Washington Primary School, Regional School District 12
Middle Schools
- Abraham Baldwin Middle School, Guilford Public Schools
- Hillcrest Middle School, Trumbull Public Schools
- Madison Middle School, Trumbull Public Schools
- Tyrrell Middle School, Wolcott Public Schools
- Westbrook Middle School, Westbrook Public Schools
- Whisconier Middle School, Brookfield Public Schools
High Schools
- Shelton High School, Shelton Public Schools
Unique/Private Schools
- Talcott Mountain Academy, Avon
- Wamogo Regional High School - Grades 7 and 8, Regional School District 6
The Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge supports community programs run by local public libraries. Many public libraries will utilize the READsquared Reading Program, which allows students to access their summer reading logs anywhere they have an internet connection (including mobile devices). Schools that coordinate with their public library may choose to have students use this online reading log, rather than a paper one. To support summer reading, the Connecticut State Library’s statewide eGo eBook platform is now available through many local public libraries and provides access to digital resources for all ages. For a list of local public libraries currently offering eGo, visit egoct.org.
Student journals, district reporting forms, and all other materials related to the program are available on the State Department of Education’s website.
Those who have questions on the program can contact Joanne R. White, Ph.D., at joanne.white@ct.gov.
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