On Saturday, Governor de Jongh welcomed over three hundred students from grades K-8 to Emancipation Garden on St. Thomas. The students were invited to attend the special ceremony with the Chief Executive after reading five or more books as a participant in the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge. Governor de Jongh and Education Commissioner Dr. LaVerne Terry delivered remarks to praise and congratulate the students.

“I am so proud of all the students who took up the challenge to read five or more books this past summer. Reading is incredibly important in promoting better language development and opens up new worlds for the imagination, providing entertainment and education. This was a unique opportunity to recognize the tremendous accomplishments of students and the importance of reading for enjoyment every day and throughout the year. Today everybody is a winner,” de Jongh said.

The 2009 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge was a partnership effort of the Office of the Governor, the Department of Education, and Learn-It Systems Corporation. In addition to encouraging reading, the summer challenge helped students build their own personal libraries, as Learn-It donated 200,000 books to the program, which were distributed to participating students for free. 

During the Fun Day celebrations at Emancipation Garden, children and families enjoyed free beverages, popcorn, cotton candy, and ice cream. Various entertainment included traditional games, arts and crafts, face painting, balloon twisting, and inflatable bouncy amusement rides. The Bookmobile was also at Emancipation Garden, and the JDPP Jammers band played throughout the festivities. In addition, as part of the program, each child who read five or more books was invited to take a photograph with the Governor.

The goal of the Governor’s Summer Reading Program was to sponsor an educational activity that would provide motivation to students Territory-wide and reward them for their efforts. All students who participated in the challenge received a personalized certificate of accomplishment and a bumper sticker; students who read ten or more books received a commemorative medal. In addition, ten students who read ten or more books were randomly selected to receive gift certificates to Dockside Books, and five students who read twenty or more books were randomly selected to attend a special luncheon aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship with the Chief Executive, scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, 2009. 

Governor de Jongh complimented parents and caregivers for providing motivation, guidance, and support to their children during the Summer Reading Challenge and thanked them for their personal involvement throughout the program.

There was a companion Fun Day on St. Croix to recognize student participants of the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge on October 24, 2009. The Disney luncheon for the five St. Croix student winners is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, 2009.