Jeddah school launches ‘reading challenge’

Jeddah Private School (JPS) has launched a 10-week reading program entitled "The Reading Challenge" designed to encourage students from the first, second and third grades to read.
During that period, students will read 1,395 Arabic and English books that are unrelated to their curriculum.
The program has become so popular that students have engaged in keeping their log books updated. The program was designed to attract the interest of students by rewarding them at the end of the program.
The response has been favorable, with all 94 students in the first, second and third grades of both the boys and girls sections receiving a certificate of participation for reading at least one book.
Fifty-three students were awarded challenge medals for reading 10 books or more, with special recognition for a second-grade girls class for reading a total of 445 books and being awarded the Reading Challenge Trophy.
“We are working on further developing the program on a larger scale next year,” said Principal Leila Sabbah Tahlawi. “We have had impressive results from an impressive group of students and I want to thank all the parents who took part in the program by encouraging their children to read further at home and following up on their log books.”
Students from grade 1A (girls) and grade 2A (girls) achieved the most number of medals. Grade 3B (boys) also all received medals.
Special awards for students reading above 50 books went to Grade 3B: Badr Abu Rashed (88 books), Grade 2A: Yara Abu AlSauaoud (88 books), Grade 2A: Olfat Al Ghaleb (77 books), Grade 3B: Ghaleb Alem (75 books), Grade 2A: Hania Ehab Hassouba (64 books), Grade 1A: Salma Alem (54 Books), and Grade 1A: Lina Al Thenayan (53 Books).