JOCOLA summer reading challenge is underway

The third annual JoCOLA summer reading challenge is underway in Jones County, where students can win prizes for reading any books they choose this summer. The summer reading challenge started May 26 and will end on Aug. 5.

Amy Marlowe said this year was her last year as the literacy specialist, and next school year she will be the new pre-K director. She said Kristen Beaver will be taking over her position. She said she hopes Beaver will bring something new to the position.

“This is something new to me, so I’m excited for it,” she said. “I will miss being the literacy specialist, but I’m eager and excited to join the staff and children here at the Jones County pre-K. This is where literacy begins.”

She said even though this will be her last year hosting the JoCOLA summer reading challenge, she is excited to see how it plays out. She said reading is very important for young minds.

“This is the third year in a row that we have done our summer reading challenge. This is for students who are rising pre-k through twelfth grade, so they will be students who are Jones County students next school year. There is a challenge for faculty and staff also,” Marlowe said.

The specialist said each winner at each school will receive top reader at their school. She said the student will receive a $25 Visa gift card. She said all participants who read 10 books or more will receive a Dairy Queen ice cream treat, a certificate, recognition at their school, and other small prizes. Each book the students read will be entered into a random drawing of a $50 Visa gift card, too.

Marlowe said Five Star Travels, Magnolia State Bank and Dairy Queen of Gray are the sponsors for the prizes.

“During the summer we tend to get into the summer slide, so you lose skills you’ve gained throughout the school year,” she said. “Reading helps with summer slide. We wanted to make this where students have a choice in what books they read.”

Marlowe said the preferred method of keeping up with the books students have read is through the digital book log, which can be accessed through a QR code on the ads, or by going to the link. She said students just fill in the information about themselves and their book. She said they also can provide paper logs, but by scanning the QR code with a phone camera is much easier. She said the link to log the books is tinyurl.com/ReadJones.

She said she enjoys seeing the teachers and staff members competing in the summer reading challenge. She enjoys seeing the students get rewarded for their hard work they do with reading during the summer, too. She added that the summer reading challenge is fun, because it’s voluntary for those who love to read.

“You get to go to so many places and learn so many things you wouldn’t otherwise through reading,” Marlowe said. “It’s very beneficial to us as human beings to have an escape from our day to day lives sometimes, so go read.”