Firefighters promote reading in Idaho Falls schools
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IDAHO FALLS – Students lined up outside of Teresa Bunker Elementary School in Idaho Falls early Wednesday morning to welcome one lucky student as he arrived in style via fire truck.
Esteban Arevalo was one of the winners of the annual “Blazing a Trail to Literacy” reading contest with the Idaho Falls Fire Department. Esteban read 6,640 minutes, more than any of the other kids in his school. He was excited to get to ride in the fire truck as the grand prize.
“We had to wear a headset because it was just so loud in there, and we couldn’t hear each other,” Esteban said. “So we had to wear headsets and we could talk to each other with microphones, but it was really fun.”
This is one of many stops firefighters are making as they meet with other kids accomplishing their reading goals throughout Idaho Falls School District 91.
But it is the firefighters, not the schools, who are the driving force behind the program. This ride is one of many the department helps promote reading and literacy.
“It’s a small part we can do to get them excited about reading and being involved. I think its great for the community and great for the kids,” IFFD spokesman Brian Curtis said.
Andrea Williams, Teresa Bunker Elementary principal, says the contest has a positive effect on all students who participate.
“We just want to help kids learn to have a love for reading, and it does that. (It also provides the opportunity) for a wide variety of kids to shine and be awarded and recognized for something they are good at,” she said.