Pottstown’s elemetary students earn Olympic Reading honors

Over 150 elementary students in the Pottstown School District recently competed in the 13th annual school district Reading Olympics competition. The Reading Olympics requires teams of students to read 45 books in preparation for the event. Each round of competition sees two opposing teams attempt to answer 20 questions given in rapid-fire fashion from moderators. After a question is asked about a book, teams huddle to determine the correct answer. One point is awarded for each correct answer and Olympic ribbons are awarded for overall performance. District teams qualify to compete in the annual Montgomery County Intermediate Unit competition which annually attracts over 500 teams and 7,000 participants.

The Pottstown School District program is organized by Reading Specialist Mrs. Karen Neitz. The goals of the Reading Olympics are to increase students’ reading for enjoyment and promote reading skills that increase achievement and academic success. “I am always so excited to see our youngsters actively engage in reading. This event is an opportunity for students to experience teamwork and the satisfaction that comes from hard work,” explained Mrs. Neitz.

For the eighth consecutive year the Pottstown School District’s Reading Olympics program has received financial support from the local Diamond Credit Union. John Foust, President of Diamond Credit Union said, “We are proud to partner with the Pottstown School District in their efforts to promote the skill of reading so that students may learn to read so that they can read to learn. It is extremely rewarding to see the glow in students’ eyes when they correctly answer one of the questions. As an organization, Diamond Credit Union is committed to being a contributing member of our community.”

Ribbon award winning teams included:

Lincoln Lightening Readers - GOLD

Kylie Boughter
Kaile Butterfield

Melissa Coleman
Seth Jones
William Maddox

Cristine Martinez
Dylan Murphy

Megan Robie
Alixander Stewart
Somaiya Tate

Donovan Towson
MiKayla Viers
Winni Weng

Emme Wolfel
Rupert Reading Racers - GOLD

Zachary Beekley
Tyler Bruton
Kamrin Gatlin

Kameryn Herpich
David Hicks
Isaiah Lamar

Courtney Maulseed
Alexandria Olvera

Amana Douglas-Quill
Destri RoyeEmily Russo

Arianna Rumley
U’Kari Taylor
Kito Thompson

Julius Vargas
Hannah Wilson
Franklin’s Rockin’ Readers - SILVER

Dezmyre Aiken
Tajime Brown
Christina Butler

Brooklyn Colegrove
Devin Dolla

Hannah Feist
Erin Glass
Avery Heverly

Kaylin Lascik
Julian Paskel
Esteban Pineda

Bryce Redd
Tanner Scott
Phillip Shiffler

Franklin’s Ballistic Bookworms - SILVER

Shelby Clayton
Elijah Davis
Jacob Eames

Andrew Green
Paige Jones
Tahkeim Lowe

Cayla McNair
Riley Mead
Jonae Oister

Payton Reid
Isabel Sharp
Marisa Walker

Emily Weber
Harmony Wood
Edgewood Elites - SILVER

Beyonce’ Brown
Rasherra Jackson

Kishan Patel
Nathan Lang
Alexis Taylor

Isabelle Dupon
Joseph McLoughlin

Amari Folly
Edgewood Reading Stars - BRONZE

Nathalie Baten
Jacob Stiefel
Hannah Lewiski

Marcos Maldonado
Anthony Lowe
Raquel Villegas

Diego Magana-Jaime
Cheyenne Dickinson

Barth Read Big or Go Home - BRONZE

Topanga Brooks
Heaven Charriez

NiYell Clifford
Sylvahna Craft

Nancy Deschamps-Ocampo
Kaelyn Draucker

Zoe Earle
Haley Haas
Alexa Howard

Justice Mayes
Pearce Raegler
Robbie Raegler

Mason Saltzer
Cheyenne Shirley

Jaleinda Thompson
Taina Virola

Barth Reading Warriors - BRONZE

Haile Clayton
Aiden Crowder
Kristin DiPietro

Jena Epright
Anyae Germany
Nathan Harper

Sherese Marshall
Jamair McCalpine-Thomas

Wesley McCalpine
Jada Oliver
Briana Quarles

Gabriela Reyes
Faith Roach