Minister announces reading contest winners

Education Minister Judy Foote today announced the winners of the For the Love of Reading Contest. The top 20 schools whose primary students read the highest number of books will each receive a prize of $2,500.

The first place prize goes to Victoria Academy in Gaultois. Students in Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2 and 3 read an average of 424 books each during the contest. Second place goes to St. James School in Lark Harbour. The Kindergarten class at St. James School also won a prize for the classroom reading the most books. The nine students in the class read an average of 725 books each during the contest.

"The purpose of this competition was to encourage primary children to read, and judging by these numbers that goal has certainly been accomplished," said Minister Foote. "It is interesting to note the large number of schools outside major urban areas with so many avid readers. This bodes well for our efforts to improve early literacy throughout the province and the success of these children later in life."

Those schools include: Bishop White School, Port Rexton; Deckwood Elementary, Woodstock; Green Bay South Academy, Robert's Arm; Greenwood Academy, Milltown; Holy Redeemer Elementary, Trepassey; Our Lady of Labrador, West St. Modeste; Our Saviour King Academy, Southern Harbour; Random Island Academy, Random Island; R.K.Gardner School, Sunnyside; St. Anne's Elementary, Flat Bay East; St. Anne's, South East Bight; St. Joseph's School, Harbour Breton; St. Mark's School, King's Cove; St. Paul's Elementary, Lanse Au Loup; St. Peter's, McCallum; St. Thomas Aquinas, Port Au Port East; Woodland Primary, Grand Falls-Windsor. Each will receive $2,500 to be used to support literacy activities.

The announcement was made at another of the winning schools - St. Michael's in Arnold's Cove.

The For the Love of Reading Contest was held in primary classrooms across the province from October 23, 2000 to February 9, 2001.

It is one of a number of early literacy initiatives being carried out by the Department of Education, including adding to class time for language arts and hiring reading specialists in every geographical school district. 

Media contact: Andrea Maunder, Communications, (709) 729-0048.

2001 03 09                                            9:50 a.m.