Elementary school students across San Benito County were challenged by the San Benito County Office of Education to read 3 million words over the summer. Together they surpassed their goal reading 6,451,127 words, equating to 18,338 books.
The summer reading challenge was part of the Building Bridges 2 Literacy initiative launched in May. Partnering with Footsteps2Brilliance, Inc., the county-wide English and Spanish early literacy initiative allows families, who reside within the county, to access an array of interactive, fun and engaging e-books, games, and activities with the goal that all students will be able to read at a proficient level by the third grade.
“Literacy is arguably the most crucial factor in determining whether a student will succeed in school and beyond. If we can intervene at an early age, then our students will have a solid foundation to attain their college and career goals,” County Superintendent of Schools Krystal Lomanto told BenitoLink.
SBCOE and partnering districts provided awards to students for their efforts. Those recognized were:
Emma Reyna, North County School – highest student reader with a total word count of 565,011
Flor Sandoval, San Juan School – second highest student reader with a total word count of 313,316
Students and teachers from the following schools were also recongized:
Aromas School:
Arlo Burke-Raymond – highest student reader
Highest readers from each class:
Mia Rodriguez Vasquez, Daniel Vargas Fernandez, Abran Gonzalez-Avila, Arlo Burke-Raymond, Natalee Drylie, Regina Senties Ruiz, Zakary Fisher
The teacher with the class that read the most words was Mr. Schmidlin. Those students are:
Ivan Aguilar Gonzalez, Lea Bautista, Logan Brewer, Alondra Campuzano, Zoe Chasco, Kassandra Chavez, Emily Diaz, Oliver Doupnik, Esmeralda Gonzalez Elizondo, Jadyn Guillen, Ricardo Gutierrez, Andres Gutierrez Rodriguez, Briana Jimenez Gabuat, Brian Kaupert, Miranda Lopez Reynoso, William Mejia Vega, Marilena Meza, Isaac Narez Herrera, Ana Ramirez-De La Cruz, Isaiah Rodriguez, Tiffany Ross, David Ruezga, Regina Senties Ruiz
San Juan School:
Flor Juarez Sandoval – highest student reader
Highest readers from each class:
Nelson Silva Albor, Brayden Kelly Allen, Jaeden Flores, Eladia German, Alejandro Flores, Morgan Ruiz
The teacher with the class that read the most words was Mrs. Flores. Those students are:
Mayra Flores, Maximo Alvarado, Jaime Alvarez Navarro, Tiber Banwell, Alexis Chavarria, Yuliani Corona, Maria Galvez, Luis Gomez, Maximiliano Gonzalez, Graciella Guajardo, Aiden Hiatt, LillyAnna Jacques, Brayden Kelly Allen, Sophia Leon, Rueben Madrid, Paul Martinez, Allison Mello, Josiah Padron, Khloe Pirtle, Ivannia Rubio, Emmanuel Rubio, Aubrey Salcedo, Samantha Saldivar, Macy Shearer, Nathan Zuniga
Spring Grove School:
Emma Reyna – highest student reader in the school and top reader across the county
The following students were the highest readers from each class:
Felix Ramirez, Guillermo Villalon, Jade Morales, Lucas Bettencourt, Sara Olmos Jimenez, Simon Ybarra, Giulio Bonomi, Alaina Ratliff, Kayla Morales, Carleena Rizio, Caelyn Wolfaardt, Molly Wyatt, Cooper Dougherty, Emma Reyna, Vivian Pratt
The teacher with the class that read the most words was Ms. Chamblin. Those students are:
Daniella Arias, Hope Brooks, Cameron Cooke, Madelyn Davis, Nora Ehn, Sarah Escamilla, Darren Garcia, Taylor Hendrickson, Jordan Henson Lovejoy, Luis Hernandez, Prestyn Hyman, Izabella Lopez, Erik Monroy, Leo Morales Lopez, Sara Olmos Jimenez, Fabian Perez, Olivia Picha, Daniela Rivera, Kaden Rodriguez, Lauren Skow, Jose Soto, Ava Sutton, Reynaldo Tafolla, Zoe Talavera, Cassidy Turner
Southside School:
Mia Morales – highest student reader in the school
The following students were the highest readers from each class:
Mia Morales, Jackson Lucido, Makayla Maynard, Mason Byers
The teacher with the class that read the most words was Ms. Glass Those students are:
Mia Morales, Jacob Martinez, Matthew Bailey, Olivia Steinmetz, Darlene Juarez, Taylor Evans, Heather Munoz, Colton Hodges, Hannah Evans, Maxim Cunningham, Pablo Dominguez, Ella Ruth, Khloe Fassio, Jeremiah Ornelas, Abigail Leon, Jeron Davis, Diego Gil, Bridget Bowman, Arabella Broyer
Tres Pinos School:
Courtney Stephens – highest student reader in the school
The following students were the highest readers from each class:
Mariana Nunez, Courtney Stephens
The teacher with the class that read the most words was Ms. Marcus. Those students are:
Isobel Adel ,Zenayda Alejandrez, Karli Askew, Cali Azevedo, Preston Bell, Gannon Brown, Molly Brown, Kaden Colon, Salvador Flores, Emily Galdos, Bronson Jenkins, Taitum Lair, Gianna Lee, Brayden Marcus, Andrew Mendez, Nevaeh Mendoza, Carlie Rowen, Courtney Stephens, Addison Thornton, Hayleigh Thul
Bitterwater School:
Ty Lindeman – highest student reader in the school
Cienega School:
Oliver Wirz – highest student reader in the school
Jefferson School:
Axel Miramontes – highest student reader in the school
Willow Grove School:
Jaylene Hernandez – highest student reader in the school