(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker, and Connecticut State Librarian Deborah Schander today announced the launch of the 2024 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge — an annual, statewide program encouraging kindergarten through Grade 12 students to read books during the summer months.
This year’s theme is “Read, Renew, Repeat.”
“Partnerships between schools and libraries are essential to providing students with access to a diverse range of books, resources, and programs that can help them thrive both academically and personally,” Governor Lamont said. “Research indicates that children who do not read during the summer can lose reading progress made during the past school year. By working together, we can ensure that every student has the opportunity to continue exploring the world through reading.”
“The 2024 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge is an invitation for children across our state to embark on exciting literary adventures cultivating a lifelong journey of reading. Students who learn to read, can read to learn, and therefore read to succeed in life,” Commissioner Russell-Tucker said. “By motivating our young readers to visit the library and engage in books, we are granting every child an opportunity to unlock their infinite possibilities for a successful future.”
“We are thrilled to once again partner with Governor Lamont and the State Department of Education for the 2024 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge,” Schander said. “Reading is a year-round activity, and this reading challenge ensures all Connecticut students can seamlessly transition from school to library to home as they read for both fun and for personal growth this summer.”
Coordinated by the Connecticut State Department of Education in cooperation with the Connecticut State Library, the challenge started in 1996 as a statewide competition for schools based on student population and grade level. The 2024 summer reading program also supports community initiatives run by local public libraries and recognizes outstanding public library-school partnerships.
Each year, the program recognizes the highest percentage of the total school student population that participated in reading activities over the summer months. In the 2023 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge, 10,985 students across Connecticut participated in summer reading and 5,441 students visited a public library. The 16 schools with the highest percentage of the total school student population that participated in reading activities are:
Elementary Schools
- Washington Primary School, Regional School District 12
- Irving Elementary School, Derby Public Schools
- Frisbie Elementary School, Wolcott Public Schools
- Edna C. Stevens Elementary School, Cromwell Public Schools
- Lee H. Kellogg School, Regional School District 1
- Booth Free School, Regional School District 12
Middle Schools
- Baldwin Middle School, Guilford Public Schools
- Hillcrest Middle School, Trumbull Public Schools
- Madison Middle School, Trumbull Public Schools
- Tyrrell Middle School, Wolcott Public Schools
- Westbrook Middle School, Westbrook Public Schools
High Schools
- East Windsor High School, East Windsor Public Schools
- Norwich Technical High School, Norwich Public Schools
Unique/Private Schools
- Riverview School, Unified School District #2
- Saint Mark School, Stratford
- Talcott Mountain Academy, Avon
Additionally, the following schools collaborated with a local public library to promote summer reading activities:
Elementary Schools
- Alcott Elementary School, Wolcott Public Schools
- Franklin Elementary School, Franklin Public Schools
- Gainfield Elementary School, Regional School District 15
- Lee H. Kellogg School, Regional School District 1
- Memorial Elementary School, East Hampton Public Schools
- Prospect Elementary School, Regional School District 16
Middle Schools
- East Hampton Middle School, East Hampton Public Schools
- Isabelle Pearson Middle School, Winchester Public Schools
- Mansfield Middle School, Regional School District 12
- Tyrell Middle School, Wolcott Public Schools
- Whisconier Middle School, Brookfield Public Schools
High Schools
- East Windsor High School, East Windsor Public Schools
The Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge supports community programs run by local public libraries. Many public libraries will use the READsquared Reading Program, which allows students to access their summer reading logs anywhere they have an internet connection (including on mobile devices). Schools that coordinate with their public library may choose to have students use this online reading log, rather than a paper one.
To support summer reading, the Connecticut State Library’s statewide eGo eBook platform is now available through many local public libraries and provides access to digital resources for all ages. For a list of local public libraries currently offering eGo, visit egoct.org.
For more information on the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge, including student journals and district reporting forms, visit portal.ct.gov/SDE/CTRead/Connecticut-Reads.
