It Pays to Read!

The students at Hobble Creek Elementary were chanting “It Pays to Read!” at an assembly on Friday, March 30th, 2012. The school had set a goal, for the school as a whole to read a total of 400,000 hours by March 30th, 2012. The students needed to bring in a slip of paper that the parents signed for every 100 minutes that would go into a pot for their names to be drawn to win prizes that consisted of posters, books, book lights, headlamps, footballs, basketballs, Barnes and Nobles gift cards, iTunes gift cards, iPods and Kindles.

Since the school as a whole read 467,700, which was more than their goal, they were rewarded with an assembly. At the assembly names were drawn for the different prizes. There were also 4 athletes from BYU who showed up. The athletes were Andrea Grant (swimmer, freshman from Walnut Creek, CA), Silvia Correa (golfer, freshman from Columbia), Leo Durkin (Volleyball, freshman from Las Vegas) and Mapleton’s very own Lexi Eaton (basketball). She played at Springville High. She averages 10.5 points and 2 assists per game. The athletes talked to the students telling them how important reading has been in their life.

Two names were drawn out of the pot per each grade level to shoot basketballs. These students picked four other people from the athletes or teachers to also shoot basketballs. Within 30 seconds all 5 shooters had to try and make a basket from different lengths from the basket. The student would start first. Then when they made the basket, the others could start shooting. After the 30 seconds was up, the student was rewarded with dollar bills for the amount of baskets made, for a total of $15. Once the student received their money the whole school would chant, “It Pays to Read!” Having people stand behind the student shooting and supporting them was a way of showing how important
reading is and that we are behind them and support them in reading. They will learn so much and their creativity will grow from reading books.

The staff at Hobble Creek wanted the students to know that it really does “Pay to Read.” As exciting as it is to win a prize or being able to shoot a basket with Lexi Eaton or the teachers, the real prize comes within every child. As the students were more engaged in reading, they gained knowledge and a greater love of reading. That’s the real “payoff”.

We would like to give a special thanks to Wal-Mart, Sams Club, and ProcessModel, Inc. for giving donations for prizes. We would like to thank the PTA, especially Alisa Corfield (chairperson), for all their time and hard work in helping put the assembly together as well as getting the prizes. We appreciate Mr. Rowe, Hobble Creek Teachers, parents and most of all the students for supporting this event. It really does “Pay to Read!”