Nashua School Libraries Step-Up Summer Reading
by Joan Poltack
Nashua High School, North

In order to further encourage students to read, the Nashua schools expanded their push for summer reading this year. The Library Media Specialists selected the theme Open the Gates to Reading to tie in with Nashua's "Gate City" nickname and a book award created for Nashua's 3rd - 4th graders known as the Gate City Book Award.

Lists of suggested titles were created by grade levels, as usual. Then the extra push began. At the elementary level, a poster project yielded over 500 posters created by students in grades 3-5 with our theme. Downtown businesses and bookstores are displaying many of these in their store windows for the summer. High school students in a printing class designed and produced bookmarks with the theme that were distributed to the elementary students. Evening kickoff events, featuring a variety of readers, refreshments, and door prizes, was held June 10th at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Blackbird Books in Nashua.

In the fall, students are encouraged to enter a drawing for each book they read from the lists over the summer. The Nashua Telegraph is providing savings bonds for grades 1-5 in each elementary school as prizes. Parents who read to or with their children will also be invited to enter a drawing for a month's subscription to The Telegraph.

Coordinating all these components was a challenge, but the Library Media Specialists felt that time was well spent if it results in increased reading in our community.