Read On, Sonoma partnered with Simpson Sheet Metal and Redwood Credit Union to present a Most Inspiring Reader award to one student at each of the participating schools. Those students were then honored on stage at the Country Summer music festival in June and given a $1,000 scholarship toward their educational future. [Photo by Will Bucquoy]
are so closely intertwined,” she says. “The more exposure they get to reading, the better their own writing becomes. Anything we can do to encourage reading is just really impactful.” She says that Read On, Sonoma has had a big impact on her entire class. “We definitely have seen an increase in students’ motivation to read,” she says. “Not just like when they’re instructed to read, but reading on their own as well.” When we spoke with Conner he had just spent a long day outside riding his bike and playing tag with his neighbors. He says that besides reading, he really likes riding his bike, playing soccer and practicing Taekwondo. Conner says the thing he likes most about reading is how he gets absorbed in a story. He says he likes stories with action in them and reading fantasy science fiction and historical fiction. “I’ve always enjoyed reading,” he says. “It’s so fun.” Right now he’s reading a series of books by Brandon Sanderson called The Stormlight Archive . “It’s about this guy, in a world named Roshar,” Conner says. “This is way back, like knights-and-kings times.” He says his dad is reading it along with him. Throughout last year, Conner won a certificate, an Epicenter gift card, a plaque and Copperfield’s gift cards at Read On, Sonoma assemblies. We asked if he was surprised when his fellow students began chanting his name. “Yeah, a little,” he said. “I felt a little embarrassed, but it felt very
good to be recognized.” He plans to continue reading through the summer and is taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge at the Windsor branch of the Sonoma County Library. “I log every 20 minutes I read and can get a reward at the end of the summer,” Conner says. Inspiring Others Read On, Sonoma partnered with Simpson Sheet Metal and Redwood Credit Union to present a Most Inspiring Reader award to one student at each of the participating schools. Those students were then honored on stage at the Country Summer music festival in June and given a $1,000 scholarship toward their educational future. “They were brought up on stage and given one of those adorable big checks,” Leisen says. “These kiddos made huge growth, and the program really lit a fire, getting them going with their love of reading.” Lily Nichols just finished the third grade at Riebli Elementary School and was among the students honored at Country Summer. She says it was really nice and really scary too when she was invited up on stage to accept a Most Inspiring Reader Award. “Yeah, I was really happy,” she says. “I felt like I really accomplished something.” When we spoke, the 9-year-old was enjoying her summer break and had just gotten back from camp. Lily says she had
44 NorthBaybiz
August 2024
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