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St. Lucie schools announce Read to Succeed winners and community support totaling more than $118,000
Summary
District staff announced Read to Succeed participation figures and school-level cash awards on May 12, 2026, citing community partners' contributions and naming Wetherby Elementary the $12,500 grand prize winner; district figures were presented by Dijon Jackson.
At the May 12 meeting, Dijon Jackson, administrator on special assignment for family and community outreach, presented the outcomes of the district's Read to Succeed literacy initiative and announced school-level prize awards funded by community partners.
Jackson credited local businesses and foundations — including the Van Duzer Foundation, the St. Lucie County Education Foundation, Pepsi and Scholastic among others — for supporting the program. He reported the program's cumulative results as presented to the board: 10,294 readers reached, 43,229 books distributed districtwide and more than $118,776 returned to St. Lucie Public Schools in program funding and school awards. Jackson also said nearly 23,245 books were given directly to participating students this year and that roughly 31,000+ books were awarded to schools (the transcript presents multiple totals cited by staff).
Jackson announced the middle-school prize: Creative Arts Academy of Saint Lucie (CAST) won $2,500. Elementary-division awards included fifth-place CAST ($1,000); fourth-place Fairlawn Elementary ($3,000); third-place White City Elementary ($5,000); runner-up Saint Lucie Elementary ($6,000); and the 2026 winner Wetherby Elementary, which earned $12,500 (the transcript notes this is a three-peat for principal Heather Ricksecker).
Jackson told the board the Read to Succeed winners received a total of $31,000 from the Van Duzer Foundation and the Education Foundation and thanked district coordinator Dijon Jackson and community sponsors for their support.
District staff presented these figures and award winners during special recognitions; the transcript records the numbers and prizes as presented but does not include full program reports or the detailed methodology for the totals.
