Eighth graders at Becker Middle School participated in a Distance Learning Reading Challenge from the middle of November until classes switched back to a hybrid model last week.  

During the challenge, English teachers Cameron Smith and Mark Kolbinger encouraged their students to read books and have discussions about them with their parents or guardians.  Each teacher recognized a class champion, and an overall award was also given to the student who read the most pages during the 64 day contest.

Kaitlynn Finney earned top honors in Kolbinger’s class, as well as the entire grade level, for reading an amazing 32,743 pages during the contest.

Holly Burthwick earned top honors in Smith’s class with her 12,896 pages of reading during the same period.  Each winner received a gift card to Barnes and Noble for her efforts.

All together, 79 students participated in the challenge with a total of 170,738 pages read between the two classes.  For every 100 pages each student read, they were able to put their name into a drawing for additional Barnes and Noble gift cards.

Students who read a minimum of 5,000 pages were also recognized for their efforts in building their reading fluency levels and showing excellence during the challenge.

These students were recognized by Principal Chantel Boyer with a certificate recognizing their achievement.  5,000 page club students included the two class champions, as well as Cora Bellefeuille, Aydan Starry, Madeline Mlenek, Natalie Yuker, Kaylee Smith, Allie Barringer, Kaylee Waters and Mya Blomquist.