Menifee students honored as county reading winners
Diego Barba is honored by County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez in his classroom. Two students in the Menifee Union School Distri...
Diego Barba is honored by County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez in his classroom.
Two students in the Menifee Union School District were honored last week as winners in a county-wide literacy contest.
To participate, students accessed the Footsteps-2-Brilliance program to maintain and even improve their reading skills. County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez visited two Menifee schools last week to honor the local winners in the reading contest.
Gomez first visited Evans Ranch Elementary School to surprise award winner Eloise Del Barrio in her kindergarten class. Gomez and MUSD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Root greeted the students and invited Eloise to stand in front of the class with them.
Gomez told Eloise she was one of the top five readers in Riverside County be reading 158 books – more than 90,000 words. She was awarded a new iPad. Principal Michael Reyes reminded the students that reading is a key ingredient to successful students at "The Ranch".
Afterward, Gomez and Root traveled to Menifee Valley Middle School and surprised Diego Barba as he walked into his language arts classroom.
Diego nervously walked into the classroom, not knowing what to expect, but when Gomez announced the award and handed Diego his new iPad, the students applauded. This summer, Diego read 287 books, which totaled almost 100,000 words. Diego came out in first place in the entire Riverside County.
Diego's friends shouted, "Felicidades!" which is Spanish for "Congratulations!" As a passionate and dedicated bilingual learner, Diego spent all summer diligently reading in both Spanish and English.
“We value the partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education,” Root said. “The opportunities and resources they provide truly make a difference in our students’ lives.”
