Chantasia Harris of Camden City Public Schools to Be Honored as a Most Outstanding Reader at the Phillies Baseball Game on June 4th for ‘Be a Phanatic About Reading Literacy Night’
Camden, N.J.—When first-grade teacher Paul Myers of Cramer Elementary School heard about the Philadelphia Phillies’ call for outstanding readers, one name instantly came to mind: Chantasia Harris. “I nominated Chantasia because she truly is a model reader and her passion for reading has inspired her classmates,” said Myers. “She demonstrates the most outstanding qualities for reading in her work ethic and in her heartfelt love of books.”
At the Phillies baseball game at Citizens Bank Park on Friday, June 4th, the Philly Phanatic will honor children dedicated to reading as part of “Be a Phanatic About Reading Night.” A special program ceremony will recognize the ten Most Outstanding and the ten Most Improved Readers selected from teacher nominations.
According to Cramer Elementary School’s Principal, Andrea Surratt, “We all knew about Chantasia’s dedication to reading because we’d see her reading at lunchtime and walking home from school! All of us at Cramer are very proud of her for this special and deserved recognition by the Philadelphia Phillies.”
This year all students at Cramer Elementary School are participating in American Reading Company’s Action 100 program, which requires students to read independently for 30 minutes at school and 30 minutes at home, a total of four “steps” each day. At the time of the nomination, the district reading target was 660 steps, but Harris was already at 1,100 steps, which means she had logged 225 hours of independent reading practice. “When children adopt successful reading habits at a young age, their love for reading will last a lifetime,” said Jane Hileman, Founder & CEO of American Reading Company. “I congratulate Chantasia on this great honor and also commend her teachers, Paul Myers and Earnestine McClain, for their outstanding classroom instruction in coaching students at all reading levels.”
According to Harris’ parents, Aisha Chunn and Mark Harris, “Chantasia loves nonfiction and fantasy. She also likes poetry and chapter books. She always reads in bed at night and we finally have to say, ‘Put the book away, it’s lights out!’ We are very proud of her and can’t wait for the night of the game.”
About American Reading Company
American Reading Company transforms school cultures to create sustainable academic achievement through training, management, and monitoring. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in King of Prussia, PA. Today, more than a million students in 2,100 schools across 420 districts in 41 states participate in the company’s programs, which include ACTION 100, 100 BOOK CHALLENGE and RESEARCH LABS.