Students at St. Mary’s Elementary School celebrated reading achievements with Disney Day, a fun-filled event recognizing their hard work. The event featured games, prizes, and costumes as a reward for surpassing reading goals.
Nigel McCarthy, director of education for the Lloydminster Catholic School Division (LCSD), emphasized the importance of recognizing students’ efforts.
“When our kids work hard, as they have for the last six months, you need to take these days and really recognize the accomplishment,” he said.
The school’s Family Literacy Day paired older and younger students for reading activities. Vice principal, Zoey Hein, explained reading together helps students build stamina and confidence.
“More kids met their reading goals,” she said. “When our end-of-term two data came in, students beat the provincial benchmarks. They actually surpassed the LCSD benchmarks, too, and LCSD sets its bar higher than the province.”
The celebration included a carnival-style prize booth. Students earned tickets by playing games and exchanged them for donated toys.
“Some of them are gently used toys kids don’t play with anymore, especially the big buddies,” Hein said. “Former staff members and retired teachers have also donated brand-new prizes.”
Rowan, a student participant, hoped younger students learned “hard work can be rewarded, and that working towards stuff can have an outcome that’s really good.”
Another student, Cadence, enjoyed seeing younger students gain confidence.
“We’ll read a little bit for them, then they’ll ask, ‘Oh, can I read?’ and they’ll probably read more than what we told them to,” she said.
Beyond celebrating literacy, the event brought joy to students and staff.
“It’s been a long, cold winter,” Hein said. “We want to make sure we have a day to just enjoy each other.”
McCarthy highlighted the importance of reading in all areas of learning.
“We don’t become scientists or engineers until we can read and interpret what the question is asking us and how to solve the problems in front of us,” he said.
Hein hopes the event leaves a lasting impact.
“A love of reading, pride in how far they’ve come, and the joy of being a buddy,” she said. “If you dream big, you get to have a lot of fun in life.”
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