On January 10, 2022, more than sixty Canyon Crest students gathered together for their reward after accomplishing the Principal’s Holiday Reading Challenge. The Holiday Reading Challenge tasked kindergarten and first-graders to read more than 100 pages (accompanied by family readers if needed), second and third-graders to read more than 200 pages, and fourth through sixth-graders to read more than 400 pages over the three-week break. Students cozied in with books over the holiday season, surpassing expected page counts and earning themselves a reward.

Students spilled into the library, waving and grinning at one another in anticipation of the event. Once seated, Christine Durst, the Provo City School District’s Media Specialist (and Canyon Crest’s previous librarian), read a book called The Baby Bee-Bee Bird by Diane Redfield Messee. The Baby Bee-Bee Bird is a book that Christine regularly used to read during her time at Canyon Crest, and students chirped along in unison during sections of the read-along, imitating the sounds of the noisy Bee-Bee Bird that keeps the forest up through the night.

Once the reading concluded, the students filed over to the library kiosk for a hot chocolate and goodies. Children snacked and chatted together, closing out the event. It was sweet to see young readers share a bonded moment through reading, making it apparent that some of Canyon Crest’s broad community of readers grew a little closer and a little stronger during the holiday break.

By: Spencer Tuinei