News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 16, 2003
Contact:  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 Ephrata School as Sept. ‘Reading School of the Month’

Gov. Gary Locke and Terry Bergeson, state superintendent of public instruction, today presented Grant Elementary School in Ephrata with the “Reading School of the Month” award for September 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 Grant students have made in reading.”

Students at Grant Elementary scored above state average percentages in every subject area of the 2003 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Forty percent of students at Grant Elementary participate in the state’s free or reduced price 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. Grant Elementary has been making these great strides.”

Sen. Joyce Mulliken, R-Ephrata, also attended the ceremony. “I'm very proud of the commitment the teachers and school administrators have made toward the reading success of their students,” she said. “And I'm so proud of the students who rose to the challenge and have excelled in their reading skills.”

Officials at the Ephrata Municipal Airport welcomed Locke and Bergeson as they arrived today, and also sent their congratulations to Grant Elementary. “The residents of Ephrata have always supported their Public School District,” said Barbara Deycous, airport manager. “These same residents also support their Municipal Airport and Port District with tax dollars. It is exciting for us to welcome the governor and the superintendent to our airport and community as they recognize one of our elementary schools as a ‘Reading School of the Month.’”

Locke and Bergeson also read “Tomás and the Library Lady” by Pat Mora to an all-school assembly and 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.

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Related links: www.schoolofthemonth.org; www.governor.wa.gov; www.k12.wa.us;
www.misswashington.org



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