Reading Book Club

Plains ISD librarian Kim Gass combines her love of young children and reading in her small library at Plains Elementary School in Yoakum County, Texas. Every morning during the school week, young elementary kids eagerly walk from their classroom to the library to show Gass the books they have read the night before.

“I challenge students through reading, and firmly believe that books are a way to gain knowledge and help increase state and national testing scores,” said Gass. At least 340 kindergarten through eighth grade students on the campus participate in the Accelerated Reading (AR) Program, a reading comprehension computer program that students use to test, as well as grow, their reading capabilities.

Gass facilitates the fourth and fifth grade reading club to help stimulate reading at school and she encourages her students to participate in the unique opportunity of the Texas Blue Bonnet Award Program at the Yoakum County Public Library. The awards program allows third through sixth grade students across the state of Texas to vote for their favorite book.

As the school librarian, Gass plays a vital role in the lives of not just the younger students, but with the secondary students as well. She assists the older students with locating research material for their assignments “Encouraging healthy study practices by helping older students with research and study materials will help students inside and outside of the classroom,” said Gass. #IAMTxEd@plains_isd