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EMS ISD Festival Inspires Young Readers Across the School District

A high school student looks at a book with an elementary student

Stories, art, crafts and a lot of smiles filled Boswell, Chisholm Trail, Eagle Mountain and Saginaw high schools at the annual EMS ISD Reading Festival on Monday, January 13. 

At the district wide event that takes place simultaneously at each high school, elementary students filled the high school cafeterias to listen to high school students read stories, then filled their bags with “gently used” books to take home. 

Third-grader Rowen Caram from Hatley Elementary School captured the joy of the evening, sharing, “My favorite part was seeing my teacher, and I had fun picking out books and seeing my teacher from last year too.” 

For fourth grader Elaina Lin from Comanche Springs Elementary, the night was about discovery. “I enjoy this night because I can find different books and books I haven’t read before, and I can see what type of books I like and also find new favorites,” she said. “My favorite thing is picking out books, but I also really like doing the art, too.”A man seated reads to two standing girls

The festival is designed to instill a love of reading, and the excitement extends to parents as well. “This night is great because it encourages kids to read. A lot of kids aren’t exposed to this variety of books, so it does a lot to expose kids to types of books or subjects they haven’t thought about before, which helps develop a love of reading,” Alex Lin, Elaina’s dad, said. “I actually had something else scheduled tonight, but when the kids saw this event on Remind, they said, ‘We have to go,’ they were so excited, and they’re having a great time.” 

Adding to the event’s success, high school students play an important role in creating an engaging experience for the elementary students, reading to them and helping them with crafts. 

“I enjoy reading and I like trying out new things. For me, this is big because even though they’re little kids, it’s still intimidating to read in front of other people, so this helps me get over being scared to read in front of other people,” said Chesnye Villatoro, an A woman stands with her daughterEMHS ninth-grade student. 

In addition to as many “gently used” books as they could carry, every EMS ISD elementary school student who attended received a free ticket to a varsity spring athletic event. 

"We want to thank the hundreds of high school student volunteers across the district. Their willingness to help children find and read those perfect books and conduct read alouds helps make this night so special," said Cindy Tucker, director of teching and learning. "Extra thanks go to the librarians and teacher volunteers from every single elementary campus who help with this evening – from unpacking books, to working the check-in table, to help with book recommendations, and even helping to re-box the remaining books." 

Fostering a love of reading among all the students while they spend a fun night with their librarians, teachers and campus administrators in a setting outside of their normal campus makes this one of the best annual events in our #EMScommUNITY. 

A boy looks at a book