Reading Challenge County Champions

Cllr Christy Curtin and Garda Sergeants John Staunton and Declan O'Keeffe with children from the Reading Challenge Prize-Winning Schools

Clare County Library wrapped up its 2009-2010 World Literacy Championship on April 16th, 2010. A total of 83 schools from Nova Scotia, Canada and County Clare signed up as team players in the sport of literacy. These 83 schools began reading for the WOW Reading Challenge on November 16, 2009 and finished on April 16, 2010. A total of 1, 357, 818 books were read over the span of the competition with 27 schools in County Clare contributing 143,318 books to that figure.

The top three 2009-2010 WOW! Reading Challenge schools in the world are:
Walter Duggan Elementary School in Westville, Nova Scotia with an average of 502 books per student!
Bible Hill East Court Road Elementary School Bible Hill, Nova Scotia with an average of 445 books per student.
Bible Hill Central School of Bible Hill, Nova Scotia with an average of 425 books per student.

The top school in Ireland was Furglan National School whose pupils read an average of 220 books per reader over the six month period. Kilfenora National School came in at second place in County Clare having read an average of 209 books per reader and for the second time Bansha National School are in third place with an average of 178 books read per child registered for the project in the school. Councillor Christy Curtin presented prizes to the winning schools in Miltown Malbay Community Hall on the 27th of May. Teachers, library staff and members of An Garda Siochana were also present to congratulate the young book enthusiasts from Furglan, Kilfenona and Bansha. The WOW Reading Challenge has been run by the library service for the past four years and has been a hugely successful project from the point of view of linking many different community groups. Established by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia, Canada, its ultimate aim is to decrease the rate of crime by increasing literacy among young people. This Internet-linked initiative connecting children over two continents is an innovative way for teachers, schoolchildren, their parents, the library and An Garda Síochána to join as a community, to promote reading. The project serves to encourage children to read and use the library more and is also an opportunity for An Garda Siochana to engage in community policing and to advocate literacy as a means of ensuring children and youth have high self esteem and feel in control of their lives.

Gardai at Ennis Garda Headquarters, under the supervision of Sgt. John Staunton, have joined with the library service for the past four years to promote reading and to talk about their work in the community. As a result of the initiative teachers have commented that their pupils have benefited from exposure to a wider variety of text, they have become members and frequent users of the library and have developed a habit of reading for pleasure. Clare County Library staff are pleased to welcome class visits from schools at any time to their branches and are also encouraged by the increasing numbers of school memberships that have been registered in latter years. The 2009/2010 WOW Reading Challenge schools in County Clare were Furglan, Kilfenora, Bansha, Clohanes, Moyasta, Tubber, Kilnamona, Connolly, Ballycar, Inagh, Burrane, Cahermurphy, Doora, Dromindoora, Kilmurry, Quin, Kilmihil, Coore, Ballyvaughan, Cooraclare, Clouna, Holy Family Jnr. School Ennis, Doonaha, Moveen, Corofin, Ballyea, St. Conaire’s Shannon, and Cratloe.