HEB ISD School & Family Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 22

HEB Reads!
Summer 2017 Wrap-up and Summer 2018 Exciting Announcement
Submitted by: STEM & School Libraries Coordinator Kiera Elledge
This summer, HEB ISD students hit the books – to
read for fun! Our second-annual community reading
challenge, HEB Reads!, was the talk of the towns
as students recorded over TWO MILLION reading
minutes. The total was up 18% from last year, and
our Hurst-Euless-Bedford community recorded over
FOUR MILLION reading minutes during the months
of May - July!
The annual summer reading campaign kicked off in
style on the first Saturday in May at Pennington Field in Bedford. Students, their families, and community
members enjoyed a variety of free activities and events all aimed at encouraging children to read for pleasure.
Building story cubes, interacting with favorite book characters, and participating in STEM challenges were
just a few of the fun things that took place at the kickoff party. In addition, every student who attended was
able to select a new, free book to take home! We are so proud of our students and community members
who enjoyed some great books this summer and look forward to trying to surpass this year’s minutes in the
summer of 2018.
Speaking of summer 2018, the HEB Reads! partnership is excited to announce that next summer, we will
be taking our reading and learning programs on the road! In June, HEB Reads! officials were informed that
the group had been awarded a $75,000 cooperative
grant, funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and
Library Services through the Texas State Library &
Archives Commission, for a community outreach
project! The HEB Reads! mobile (yet to be officially
named) will be able to visit HEB ISD schools as well
as library and city events, to provide literacy and
STEM-based educational opportunities. Look for our
new vehicle to make its debut at the second annual
District Showcase on Saturday, March 3, 2018!
20