MAYOR DEEGAN CELEBRATES RIVER CITY READERS WINNERS, LAUNCHES NEXT CHAPTER OF CITYWIDE READING CHALLENGE
Jacksonville families have logged more than 3 million minutes of reading through the mayor's high-profile literacy initiative
Mayor Donna Deegan honored the newest winners of her River City Readers literacy initiative at a Dino-Mite "Unearth a Story" end-of-summer reading party on Wednesday, July 29th at Pablo Creek Regional Library, 13295 Beach Blvd.
At the event, she also kicked off the next chapter of her citywide literacy challenge, in collaboration with Duval County Public Schools, the Jacksonville Public Library, and other community partners.
Since its launch, River City Readers has inspired Jacksonville families to collectively log more than 3 million minutes of reading, a major milestone for the initiative designed to improve literacy scores in Duval County.
"Every minute our kids spend reading is an investment in their future, and Jacksonville families have invested more than 3 million of them," said Mayor Donna Deegan. "That tells me our city understands that literacy is the foundation of opportunity. I can't wait to celebrate our winners and dig into the next chapter of this challenge together."
The latest River City Readers winners are:
- Leia Tobias, age 4
- Ezra Yi, age 5
- Sophia Lynn Vause, age 7
The dinosaur-themed "Unearth a Story" celebration featured fossil making, pasta paleontologists, tricera-toss, and a variety of other prehistoric activities and fun for all ages. Hundreds of children also received free branded backpacks and books aboard the Mayor's Bookmobile.
River City Readers encourages Jacksonville children and families to make reading a daily habit, with participants logging their reading minutes for a chance to be recognized by the mayor. The initiative is part of Mayor Deegan's broader commitment to ensuring every child in Duval County has the tools to read at grade level.
Introducing PageHive: A New Way to Log Reading Minutes
As part of the next chapter of the challenge, students attending Duval County Public Schools — including traditional and charter schools — will log their reading minutes through PageHive, a new app developed by the district. Accessible on cell phones and computers, PageHive gives every student a personalized dashboard featuring a virtual bookshelf that displays books they've read and those currently in progress, along with the ability to rate books. Teachers can add read-aloud titles to their students' dashboards, and data reports provide reading-minute totals by student, teacher, grade level, and school.
Families will access PageHive through a prominent icon on the Duval County Public Schools website. In the near future, the platform will expand to include an administrator dashboard and media specialist access.
Private and homeschooled students will continue to log their reading minutes through Beanstack.
"PageHive puts the joy of reading right at our students' fingertips," said Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier. "When a student can build their own bookshelf, rate the books they read love, and watch their minutes add up, reading stops feeling like an assignment and starts feeling like an adventure. We're proud to partner with Mayor Deegan to make sure every Duval County student is part of this challenge."
For more information about River City Readers, visit Jacksonville.gov - River City Readers.