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The call to stop what you are doing and read for 23 minutes on Jan. 23 at 8 a.m. went out last Thursday during Mountain Home Public School’s regular School Board meeting.
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Mrs. Allyson Dewey, presented the reading initiative to the board.
According to MHPS, the initiative is designed to emphasize the importance of reading proficiency and its correlation with higher self-esteem, improved concentration, improved critical and analytical skills, stronger memory skills, and expanded vocabulary.
“This is not supposed to be difficult; this is not supposed to be extra for teachers,” said Dewey.
The school district has set aside the dates of Jan. 9, 2023 to Mar. 17, 2023 for students to read 23 book titles of their choosing, or for 23 minutes at least 23 different times.
District staff will support students by providing books and reading partners if needed.
The Mountain Home community will be invited to support the initiative by participating in a 23-minute reading time Jan. 23, 2023 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:23 a.m.
The district is asking all families and community members to take a selfie while reading and post it as a comment on their Facebook page on their “23 in 23” post which will be pinned at the top of their page.
An anonymous community member is donating a pizza party for each student who completes this challenge.
New pole vault equipment
In other school board news, the purchase of new pole vault equipment was approved in the amount of $26,694.13. The lowest bidder was chosen not only for their price but because their mat cushions are four inches thicker than either of the other bidders.
Coach Mitch Huskey presented the action item to the board and explained that the current equipment is worn and is a safety hazard. The equipment being used was purchased in 2014.
“It becomes a dangerous situation,” said Huskey after explaining how high Mountain Home athletes are jumping.
“OSHA would not like these pictures,” said Vice President Lisa House while reviewing the photos presented.
The original budget for new equipment was $25,000. Huskey said that they would have to make up the difference somewhere else in the budget.
