Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 23, 2003
Contact:  Kirsten Kendrick, Governor’s Communications Office, 360-902-4136;
Alt Contact:  Kim Schmanke, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 360-725-6015

Gov. Gary Locke, Superintendent of Public Instruction Honor Longview School as May ‘Reading School of the Month’

Gov. Gary Locke and Terry Bergeson, state superintendent of public instruction, today presented Northlake Elementary School in Longview with the “Reading School of the Month” award for May 2003.

“No matter what you want to do when you grow up, you have to start by being a good reader,” Locke told the students. “Reading is the key to all academic success. I am so proud of all the progress Northlake students have made in reading.”

Northlake Elementary has made significant progress. The school’s average reading WASL score has increased 12 percentage points in less than five years. Last year, Northlake students scored an average of 72.5 percent on the reading WASL, while the state average was 65.6. Fifty-two percent of Northlake students participate in the state’s free or reduced lunch program.

“You should be very proud of the hard work that has led to more students learning how to read,” Bergeson said. “Schools selected for this honor do more than just increase their reading test scores. They demonstrate a commitment to providing a high-quality education to all of their students, regardless of the challenges of poverty or high-mobility. Northlake Elementary has been making these great strides.”

Locke and Bergeson read “I’m Gonna Like Me” by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell to an all-school assembly. They also presented an autographed copy of the book to the school.

The governor and the superintendent started the “Reading School of the Month” program in January 2002 to raise awareness about the importance of reading and learn how struggling schools made drastic changes to become exemplary reading schools.

Miss Washington 2002, Amanda Beers, also shared her success story with Northlake students. Beers, a 20-year-old Tri-Cities native, has a 50 percent hearing loss in both ears and has still become an accomplished, award-winning pianist. She was a finalist in the Miss America Pageant last fall.

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Related Links:
- School of the Month Web site
- K-12 Web site
- Governor's Web site
- Miss Washington Web site

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