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 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge, “Imagine Your Story,” in which 9,576 students participated and read nearly 105,000 books. The top-performing schools were:

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.

This press release was made possible by:

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By Stephen Krauchick

DoingItLocal is run by Steve Krauchick. Steve has always had interest with breaking news even as an early teen, opting to listen to the Watergate hearings instead of top 40 on the radio. His interest in news spread to become the communities breaking news leader in Connecticut’s Fairfield County. He strongly believes that the public has right to know what is happening in their backyard and that government needs to be transparent. Steve also likes promoting local businesses.

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