Reading Pays Off for One Elementary School

Students at one Zanesville City School have a new award to put in their trophy case.

As part of this summer’s reading program, through the Muskingum County Library System, a goal was set to have more kids in the Zanesville City Schools reading.

They challenged the buildings and the winner for the most percentage of students in the program would get a trophy.

Friday, that trophy was presented to John McIntire Elementary with 26.5 percent of their students taking part in the program.

"Our motivating factors are our teachers in my building," explained Principal of John McIntire Elementary Kacey Cottrill. "They really just pushed reading and if students read all year long they’re going to be better readers when they come back in the fall. That gap in the summer time really causes a kind of lull and when they go to the library and the library can pick up that slack that really helps us as a building."

Cottrill said the trophy will be proudly displayed on the top shelf of their trophy case. It will serve as motivation for even more students to participate next summer.

"I think this is going to be easier because we already have the trophy," said Cottrill. "We also know we’re going to have to do a lot of hard work to promote it to the students that summer reading is the way to go and John McIntire is the place to do it."

Along with the trophy for the school a plaque will hang at John McIntire Library with the school’s name on it showing the elementary school as winner of this year’s award.