JOHNSTON COUNTY – Read to Grow Johnston County has announced the winners of its third annual “Attendance Matters” poster contest held in September for Attendance Awareness Month. This initiative called attention to the importance of school attendance, especially in the early months of the academic year when absenteeism sets the tone for future attendance.
Read to Grow encouraged all county elementary school students to submit a poster highlighting “Why Attendance Matters.” Schools were invited to submit one poster per grade, resulting in a vibrant collection of 69 submissions from 21 schools. The effort highlights the community’s commitment to addressing chronic absenteeism right from the start of the school year.
Congratulations to the winners. Pictured from left to right are: Gabriel Morris (1st grade, Cleveland Elementary), Ryleigh Deese (4th grade, Four Oaks Elementary), Izabella Salgado (2nd grade, Dixon Road Elementary), Elynne Stephenson (5th grade, South Smithfield Elementary), Adelaide Ramirez (3rd grade, Selma Elementary), and Andrea Fuentes Miranda (Kindergarten, Wilson’s Mills Elementary).
Each winner will have their artwork displayed at their respective schools and received a Read to Grow backpack filled with items designed to foster good attendance habits and spark creativity.
“Together, Johnston County can work towards improving student attendance. Chronic absenteeism can start as early as kindergarten, and research shows that students who miss just a few days in September are likely to miss much more school throughout the year,” said Heather Machia, Read to Grow Coordinator. “By promoting attendance from the early grades, we pave the way for students to thrive and graduate from high school.”
Read to Grow is a collaborative group consisting of business leaders, members of the faith community, families, the Partnership for Children of Johnston County, My Kids Club, Johnston County Public Schools, and their Board of Education. The collaborative aims to connect resources, develop initiatives, and achieve the goals set to impact the three pillars of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR): kindergarten readiness, chronic absenteeism, and summer learning loss.
