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TOPEKA -- A fourth-grader at Hillsdale Elementary School in rural Miami County was named today as the one millionth Kansas child to participate in the University of Kansas' 56-year-old Reading Program for Children.
The university celebrated this milestone at a special ceremony today at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library in Topeka. More than 70 of 10-year-old Alyssa Paul's classmates from Hillsdale attended the ceremony as the university's special guests. The school's principal, Amy Hastert, accompanied the children.
KU's Reading Program for Children has encouraged a million students to develop an early love of reading. The program grew from a conviction that reading for pleasure is an essential element to lifelong learning, KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway told the crowd.
Other speakers included Mary Cohen, the U.S. Secretary of Education's representative for Region 7, based in Kansas City, and JoAnn Smith, dean of KU Continuing Education, which oversees the reading program. The Baby Jay mascot also showed up for the celebration.
In the program, children who read 12 books a year receive a certificate and a silver seal. Children who read at least 25 books a year receive a gold seal. Children who complete four years in the program earn a coveted Jayhawk patch. Schools interested in participating in the program may visit www.kuce.org or call Pat Flory, KU Continuing Education, at (785) 864-4790 or e-mail pflory@ku.edu.
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