274 Students from 19 Schools across the 3rd Congressional District Read At Least 20 Books Each
NEW HAVEN, CT–Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) celebrated 274 first graders from 19 schools across Connecticut’s Third District today. DeLauro, and the students’ parents, recognized their achievements in participating in the “Rosa’s Readers” program. This year’s participants read a total of 6,859 books.
“Fourteen years ago, when Rosa’s Readers started, we had one simple goal: to share our love of reading with young students. We wanted to ask children to join us on the adventure that awaits us each time we open a book. And we wanted parents more involved because we know what a difference they make in their child’s success in school.
“I have attended many of the classes where students are participating in Rosa’s Readers, and my favorite moment every time is when the kids tell me about the books they are reading at home, how their eyes light up as they explain the story or a character in their favorite book. I see that same light in the eyes of my grandchildren, as we read the Madeleine books, or Stella Luna. And I remember feeling just the same way when I was a young girl, and read my own favorite books over and over again. I am so proud of this program’s success.”
DeLauro presented each child with a “Certificate of Accomplishment” and a commemorative bookmark designed by Broke Konefal of John Lyman Elementary School in Middlefield.
The program, which was established in 2000 to encourage interest in reading outside of the classroom, challenges students to read 20 books. Over those 14 years, over 7,600 students have read over 156,000 books. For the seventh straight year every first grader at John Lyman Elementary School participated. AW Cox Elementary School in Guilford collectively read 1,417, the most of any school.
