JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayor Donna Deegan honored the newest winners of her River City Readers literacy initiative Wednesday at a dinosaur-themed “Unearth a Story” end-of-summer reading party at Pablo Creek Regional Library.
At the event, Deegan also launched the next chapter of her citywide literacy challenge, a partnership with Duval County Public Schools, the Jacksonville Public Library and other community organizations.
Since its launch, River City Readers has inspired Jacksonville families to log more than 3 million minutes of reading collectively, a milestone for the initiative aimed at improving 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,” Deegan said. “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, 4; Ezra Yi, 5; and Sophia Lynn Vause, 7.
The celebration included fossil making, “pasta paleontologists,” “tricera-toss” and other prehistoric-themed activities. Hundreds of children also received free branded backpacks and books aboard the mayor’s Bookmobile.
New app to track reading minutes
As part of the challenge’s next phase, 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 phones and computers, PageHive gives each student a personalized dashboard with a virtual bookshelf displaying books they have read or are currently reading, along with the ability to rate titles.
Teachers can add read-aloud books to students’ dashboards, and the platform generates data reports on reading minutes by student, teacher, grade level and school.
Families will access PageHive through an icon on the Duval County Public Schools website. Private and homeschooled students will continue logging reading minutes through Beanstack.
“PageHive puts the joy of reading right at our students’ fingertips,” Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said. “When a student can build their own bookshelf, rate the books they read and 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.”
More information about River City Readers is available at jacksonville.gov.
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