Arlington School & Family Magazine February 2017 | Page 21

Speer Elementary School

Speer Wins Makeover
By Kenneth Perkins
When students at Speer Elementary returned to school for the second semester , they quickly noticed one thing : a difference in the library . Or at least a corner of it .
The corner that once had only a bookcase has been transformed with new furniture , rugs , décor , lighting and , of course , books .
The reason sits framed along with a plaque , and the thanks goes to Speer ’ s fourth graders .
The fourth-grade students won a $ 2,500 Reading Corner Makeover by designing a poster and writing descriptions that promoted keeping the city clean . The students introduced characters like H 2 0 Man and Electro woman who presided over the city as superheroes of the environment .
The contest was sponsored by the Finally Light Bulb Company , which offers energy-efficient home lighting options , and Westlake Ace Hardware .
Nearly 20 schools in a region that included Kansas and Oklahoma , received a blank poster in the shape of a Finally Light Bulb , and students were asked to collectively decorate the poster based on an agreed-upon theme . The children were also asked to write a brief description to accompany the artwork , detailing how they chose their theme . Winner selections were based on creativity , design and originality .
After winning , the fourth graders worked with local designer Jennifer Mueller to incorporate the poster theme into the Reading Corner Redo and transform the area .
“ We ’ re just so excited and thrilled for our students ,” Speer Principal Rosa Orosco said . “ They worked hard on it , and their hard work has really paid off . What ’ s great is how interesting the poster is .”
Representatives from the Finally Light Bulb Company and Westlake Ace Hardware attended a ceremony shortly before the winter break to make the announcement .
Orosco said the corner works well with the goals of Speer ’ s Accelerated Reading program , which charts its students ’ reading progress .
Arlington School & Family 19