Brown Repeats with DeKalb West School Top Reading Award

May 18, 2021
By: Bill Conger

6th grader Ethan Brown won the two top DeKalb West School library awards this school year. For the second year in a row, he was presented with the Mrs. Sabrina Farler Principal’s Award. For 2020-2021 he had the most yearly Accelerated Reader points with 397.8. He also earned the prestigious Mrs. Amanda Mullinax Librarian’s Award for the most Accelerated Reader points with 1,607.2

“I am truly proud of Ethan for all his reading achievements!” Mullinax said. “He is a very intelligent young man with a bright future ahead. I hope he continues to read, enjoy, and learn.”

Ethan, the son of Mark and Galen Brown, says he first realized he had a joy for reading in 3rd grade when he discovered the book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan.

“I liked its length, and it was fun to read,” Ethan Brown told Bulldog Tracks. “My favorite series is The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini.”

Ethan this year received a certificate for accuracy. He was a member of the 100 points club twice this year and Top Reader for his homeroom. In his academic history at DWS, he has taken 689 AR quizzes.

It’s hard to find a time when this intelligent young man doesn’t have at least two fiction books in his hands.

“I like to have a book with me in case I finish one because I do most of my reading at home,” Brown explains. “If I’m at home and I finish a book and I want to keep reading, it’s handy to have the next one with me.”

“My parents always read books with me when I was young. We were going through my closet, which is a mess and I had a shelf with some books on it and we were throwing out some that I had never read and some that I want to throw out that they wouldn’t let me because I guess for sentimental value like The Hungry Dinosaur.

Ethan reads for the love of it and has certainly seen the benefit to his education.

“Reading helps with grades a lot, and it also helps me build vocabulary. Pretty much anyone who has ever met me knows I have an enormous vocabulary.”

An academic standout, Ethan is a member of the Junior Beta Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the DWS Bulldog basketball team.

While Ethan has achieved a remarkably high 1,600 Accelerated Reader points, he has his sights set on a higher goal.

“Before I leave this school, I do definitely want to hit 2,000 points, which I feel like is possible because I’m still a 6th grader. I’ve got two more years.

May 18, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Smithville Elementary held its annual school-wide Fun Day on Friday, May 14, where SES students enjoyed a day full of special activities and treats. Also on Friday, SES was presented with an unexpected and generous donation from community members and SES families to help make the Fun Day even more amazing for SES students. “Lack of fundraising opportunities for our school has been one of the many struggles we have faced since the pandemic began in 2020. The surprise donations that were gifted to our school contributed to a very successful day for our students! With the generous donations that were received, every student in our school received a snow cone from Central Ice Shack, participated in fun and exciting activities, and enjoyed an interactive presentation from ‘The Science Guy.’ The outpouring of support and love from our community is a true testament to the heart of the people of DeKalb County and on behalf of the faculty, staff, and students of Smithville Elementary, we are very grateful to be part of such an amazing community and would like to say THANK YOU for supporting our Wildcats!,” said Principal Summer Cantrell.

SES would like to recognize the following people for their contributions to school-wide Fun Day: SES Faculty and Staff, Central Ice Shack, Mr. Richie The Science Guy, and Trent Colwell with DJ T Entertains for donating his time, supplies, expertise and equipment for the dance party.

May 18, 2021
By:

Throughout the school year, Smithville Elementary students participate in the Accelerated Reader, or AR, program. AR is a computer program that tests students after they read a book of their choice. Children pick a book at their own reading level and read at their own pace. When finished, the child takes a short quiz on the computer. Students earn points for each quiz that is passed, and there are 3 levels of prizes they can earn throughout the year based on the number of AR points they earn.

This year, Smithville Elementary students took a total of 4,770 AR quizzes, and read 3,061,045 words! Throughout the year students were awarded various prizes for earning points, and there were also drawings each month for prizes for students who made a 100 on a quiz that month.

There were 21 students who earned the top level 3 prize, and the top two highest AR point earners in the school earned the opportunity to spend the day as Principal and Assistant Principal. Caroline Farmer, from Mrs. Bethany Rigsby’s 2nd grade, spent a day as Principal for earning the most AR points this year. Braxton Poss, a student in Mrs. Janet Trapp’s class, was the second highest point earner and he served as the Assistant Principal for a day. We are very proud of all of our students for their hard work on the AR program this year.

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