News Release

Schools' top readers praised by Gov. Musgrove

Southaven, Nov 9, 2002 - SOUTHAVEN - Dalton Hurt, 7, a second grader at Hernando Elementary, says she really enjoyed a book she read about a boy who finds other ways to amuse himself when the television is broken.

He built a playhouse out of boxes for one thing. He also read to his younger sister.

The book was one of many Dalton has read since September as part of the Accelerated Reader Program.

Dalton was among 140 DeSoto County students who gathered at the DeSoto Civic Center Friday to receive certificates from Gov. Ronnie Musgrove for their efforts to improve their reading skills through the program.
 

Dalton says the program has helped her as a student.

"The books were good and I understand a lot more words now," she said.

Chester McCoy, 11, a sixth grader at Southaven Middle School, and Sarah Ostrovsky, 8, a third grader at Shadow Oaks Elementary, said they both favored the popular Harry Potter series.

"I didn't do much reading before," Chester said, "but I enjoy it now. I'll probably do more."

Sarah said she has read 23 books since September and is planning to read more.

"I've read three of the Harry Potter books, and I'm reading the fourth one now."

Now in its second year, the accelerated reader program is sponsored by the Maddox Foundation of Hernando.

"I'm really excited for these kids," Maddox Foundation President Robin Costa said. "They've done a great job and I'm really proud of them."

The accelerated reader program is just one of several efforts that are raising the level of education in Mississippi, Musgrove said.

"All of us have priorities, and my priority is improving our schools," Musgrove told the students and parents. "We have to invest in education, and we've been doing that for two years."

Over the next three years teacher pay raises will bring Mississippi educators pay up from 29th in the nation to 19th, Musgrove said. In addition, the state will soon be the first in the nation to have internet-accessible computers in every classroom.

"A lot of people said we couldn't do it," Musgrove said. "But our recent test scores have us with the sixth best education program in the country.

"This shows the value of our investment in education," he said.

The accelerated reader program has proven its worth in DeSoto County schools, said Tina Stallcup, a seventh grade social studies teacher at Hernando Middle School.

"So many of our students don't like to read any more," Stallcup said. "This gets them into reading and their skills are really progressing rapidly."

Each student at Friday's ceremony received a certificate from Musgrove and had their picture taken with him. The students and their parents were then treated to tickets for the RiverKings hockey game at the Civic Center.

RINO DOLBI/Times News Staff