Brandenburg Middle School wrapped up an exciting reading promotion program that had students logging outside reading time in friendly competition with other classes. Students earned one badge for every 30 minutes of independent reading logged through Beanstack, with a maximum of eight badges up for grabs per student. The top three classes stood to win a special walking field trip to nearby Handley Elementary School to read with younger students. When the badges were tallied, Mr. Laman's 7th period class took first place with an impressive 89 badges, followed by Ms. Smith's 1st period class with 57 badges, and Mr. Laman's 5th period class rounding out the top three with 37 badges.
On Monday, March 9th, the three winning classes made the trip to Handley Elementary with their teacher and the school librarian, Ms. Lemons, where they were paired with Kindergarten students for a shared reading experience. Each student pair dove into several picture books together, filling the time with stories and smiles. The visit clearly left a lasting impression on the youngest readers as the Handley Librarian, Amy Hubschman, noted afterward that her kindergarteners had been asking ever since when the big kids were coming back.