Racine students celebrate reading achievement with helicopter candy drop
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Students at a Racine middle school had their eyes on the sky, celebrating their reading success Tuesday, June 4.
It was full throttle ahead for students at Gifford School. The kids in grades K-5 were given a special treat for achieving high goals in reading.
"They went from 26%, and then when the incentive was announced it went to 93.7%," said Susan Milder, executive principal, Gifford School.
The incentive was seeing their school mascot, Clifford the Gator, 150-feet in the air raining down sweet success (candy).
The high-flying adventure comes as the students improved their reading skills by using an artificial intelligence program called Amira, sharpening the fundamental skill of reading.
"It's an adaptive program that meets the students where they are in terms of their reading needs," said Christopher Nowak, K-3 early literacy coach with Gifford School.
For the students, they said reading has been therapeutic.
"It makes me calm down and feel good," said Grace Hansen a 5th grade student at Gifford School.
"While you're reading you can kind of picture what's happening in your head of what you're reading,"
School administrators said the program turned a new page for success.
"The increase in engagement, their levels are going up, and each year we are seeing it built upon the next," said Milder.
The thrilling chopper proved reading never goes out of style.
"I do want to tell everybody that it's good to read, and it's good for you, and it's fun," said Balk.