St. Martin Parish Schools honors students for Accelerated Reader achievements

The St. Martin Parish Schools board honored students from across the district for achievements in the Accelerated Reader program during its meeting in Stevensville. Staff members presented awards to students who reached point and word-count milestones, including one student with the highest point total in the district.

Accelerated Reader is a reading program that tracks book completions and gives points and word counts for books students read independently. A staff member presenting the awards said, "Accelerated Reader is a program where students read books and they earn books." The presenter noted that, depending on grade level, books earn differing point values and that reaching 100 points typically reflects reading many books.

Students recognized at the meeting included Jace Dion and Bryant Lee Grove for 100 points; Gavin Harvey, Carlin Mayon and others listed for 100 points; Evangeline Merrick and Aniston Blankenship for 50 points; Julia Hallock for 200 points; Lucy Acosta for 250 points; and Jack Shirley for 500 points, which the presenter identified as the most points in the entire district. The presenter also said several students had read more than 1 million words, listing Jack Shirley, Luca Aposta, Julian Miller, Evangeline Barrett and Unicelyn Blankenship among those "millionaires."

The board did not take formal action related to the Accelerated Reader recognitions; the presentation was part of the meeting's community- and student-recognition portion. The board applauded students and invited them forward to receive certificates and photos.

Board members and staff emphasized reading's importance in remarks tied to the recognition. The meeting record shows multiple award presentations and a series of names announced by the presenter; no vote or policy change was made during the recognition segment.