On Thursday, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. praised hundreds of Virgin Islands students who participated in his Summer Reading Challenge, and reminded them to turn in their tracking sheets by the end of the week, Friday, September 3, 2010. All tracking sheets should be submitted to the Office of the Governor on all three islands.

Public, private and parochial students between Kindergarten and 8th grade participated in the Challenge, which officially ends this week. The territory-wide program encouraged children to enjoy reading throughout the summer months, and to track the books they completed.

“Reading is the perfect way to learn more about the world around us, offering new insights and perspectives that are oftentimes driven by our own unique imagination. This program enables Virgin Islands boys and girls to discover and re-discover the joy of reading and encourages children to continue reading for entertainment and pleasure through the academic year. The hope is to inspire reading as a hobby, outside of regular homework assignments, thereby increasing the overall learning experience and literacy efforts for the territory’s youngsters. I am proud of all the students who participated in this exciting initiative and look forward to bringing it back to the community again next year,” the governor said.

In the closing weeks of summer break, Governor de Jongh distributed thousands of books to students at Book Blowout events on St. Thomas and St. Croix, where eager youngsters who accepted the Challenge received an infusion of literature to cap off their summer reading. Many students who accepted the Challenge read above and beyond the five titles necessary to complete the program.

A special “Fun Day” of closing ceremonies will be held in both districts in October to recognize those children who read five or more books for the Challenge. As an additional, public recognition, those students’ names will also be featured in the Virgin Islands Daily News, the Avis, and the Tradewinds newspapers. The ceremonies will include special awards for children who read above and beyond the parameters of the Challenge, as well as a special prize for the winning schools on each island in a school-by-school competition.

The Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge is a partnership between the Office of the Governor, the Department of Education, and Learn-It Systems Corporation. In addition to encouraging reading, the Summer Reading Challenge helps students build their own personal libraries by letting them keep their books. Learn-It donated 100,000 books to the program, which were distributed to participating students for free.