PHOTO: Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder presented merit certificates to more than 800 students in south Queens and Rockaway for completing the 2015 Summer Reading Challenge. Photo Courtesy of NYS Assembly
Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) on Monday declared this year’s Summer Reading Challenge “our best yet.”
This month, Goldfeder wraps up his 2015 Challenge with a visit to PS 64 in Ozone Park. This will be the last of 24 schools to hold a ceremony for the assemblyman to present students with Certificates of Merit. In all, 818 students will be honored by Goldfeder, the highest level of participation since 2012.
The Challenge encourages students to read at least 15 minutes each day on at least 40 days during the months of July and August. Students are given special pamphlets with a calendar to mark their progress. Once finished, students can return pamphlets to their school or mail them to Goldfeder’s office.
Continuing a tradition started by his predecessor, Queens County Clerk Audrey Pheffer, Goldfeder has offered the challenge to students every year since 2012.
“It’s been an honor to come to the schools and personally present certificates to so many dedicated young readers,” Goldfeder said. “The parents, teachers and administrators across the community deserve tremendous credit for encouraging our children to read and keep their minds active during the long summer break.”
The nearly 1,000 students that participated represent schools across communities in southern Queens and Rockaway, Goldfeder noted. The Challenge has even made it to some unlikely places. As in years past, Goldfeder issued 2015 merit certificates to Jack and Penelope Larkin in Seattle, Wash., who were encouraged to participate by their grandmother, Barbara, a member of the Belle Harbor Property Owners Association.
By far the most surprising young reader may have come courtesy of last weekend’s Black Friday sales, Goldfeder noted. On Monday, Goldfeder’s Howard Beach district office received a package from Macy’s department store. Inside was a completed summer reading pamphlet and a note explaining that the pamphlet had been found in the pockets of clothing items recently returned to the store.
“He was probably so immersed in a good book that he forgot the pamphlet,” Goldfeder quipped.
By Forum Staff
