School of the Year

Read Live School of the Year Honorable Mentions

The Read Live School of the Year Award recognizes schools whose students have substantially improved their reading skills using the Read Live program. It has been gratifying to read the many inspiring success stories from schools far and wide. Join us in congratulating our 2026 honorable mentions!

Centerburg Elementary

Centerburg, Ohio

Submitted by Amber Kotzin, Title I Teacher

Centerburg Elementary receives a $100 Read Naturally Gift Certificate.

Centerburg Elementary School uses Read Live across Title I, special education intervention, weekly classroom fluency checks, and summer school to provide targeted support based on students’ unique needs.    The program’s structure and user-friendly design allow students to work efficiently while teachers spend their time where it is most effective: one-on-one check-ins with students to observe progress and make instructional adjustments. Students are motivated to work hard because they can see evidence of their progress in the program, and they experience the joy of reading to learn through a wide variety of high-interest nonfiction topics. One student shares, “At first reading was really hard for me, but now I can read more words, and I don’t get stuck as much.”

Thanks to the significant efforts of students and teachers alike, Centerburg Elementary is seeing growth in phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Many students have even graduated from Title services because of their improvement in reading. In some cases, students are sad to leave because they love the program so much—even asking if they can continue using it in their regular classrooms because they feel so successful with it.

At Centerburg Elementary School, attitudes and outcomes are being improved every day. They are a model of excellence in literacy instruction and a very deserving awardee of the Read Live School of the Year scholarship.
 

Chickasaw Elementary/Intermediate School

Germantown, Tennessee

Submitted by Kellie Stacy, Reading Specialist

Chickasaw Elementary/Intermediate School receives a $100 Read Naturally Gift Certificate.

This was Kellie Stacy’s first year as the school-wide interventionist for grades 2–5. Early on, she worked hard to learn about Read Live and develop a plan for implementing it effectively in her program. As she began working with students, she quickly saw their challenges with decoding, fluency, comprehension, and retelling—but Read Live provided the structure and support they needed to begin experiencing success. It also allowed Stacy to spend meaningful one-on-one time with each student, observe their progress, and provide responsive instruction. 

Read Live’s high-interest, nonfiction texts helped students experience the joy of reading to learn. Students who had long felt frustrated with reading are now returning to their classrooms eager to share interesting facts they learned in Read Live with their peers. Stacy reports significant academic growth, with some students even exiting intervention because their reading ability, comprehension, and classroom grades improved so much. 

Chickasaw Elementary/Intermediate School is a model of excellence in literacy instruction and a very deserving awardee of the Read Live School of the Year scholarship.

Krystal School

Hesperia, California

Submitted by Barbara Cerna, Classroom Teacher

Krystal School receives a $100 Read Naturally Gift Certificate.

Krystal School has used Read Live for over ten years to build students’ confidence, fill learning gaps, and provide an engaging, consistent routine. Staff understand that students need to develop many skills to become successful readers—including phonological awareness, decoding, sight word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—and Read Live helps teachers support all of these areas within one program.

Students at Krystal School are invested in their own learning, using Read Live to track their reading progress over time. As their skills improve, so do their confidence, motivation, and pride. Staff believe fostering a love of reading is priceless, and they are thrilled to see students develop greater joy and appreciation for reading. 

Krystal School is dedicated to developing confident, capable readers. They are a model of excellence in literacy instruction and a very deserving awardee of the Read Live School of the Year scholarship.

Lakewood Elementary

Mandan, North Dakota

Submitted by Valerie Miller, Title I Teacher

Lakewood Elementary receives a $100 Read Naturally Gift Certificate.

Lakewood Elementary School is in its third year of operation and has used Read Live from the beginning—initially as a special education intervention, and later expanding its implementation to focus on Tier 2 after the program helped move so many students from Tier 3 into Tier 2.

Lakewood staff recognize the importance of developing a range of literacy skills, including fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, prediction writing, and retelling. Read Live allows them to target these skills effectively and efficiently, and its user-friendly structure makes it easy for paraprofessionals to support students as well. As a result, students are able to keep working with minimal disruption, maximizing their learning time. 

Students enjoy the program, too. They are motivated by seeing evidence of their progress, and many who once felt frustrated with reading now feel confident and capable of reading independently. The high-interest nonfiction texts also engage students and spark meaningful conversations with teachers, strengthening relationships along the way.

Lakewood Elementary School is a model of excellence in literacy instruction and a very deserving awardee of the Read Live School of the Year scholarship.

Lucy S. Herring Elementary School

Asheville, North Carolina

Submitted by Patricia Burgess, Reading Specialist

Lucy S. Herring Elementary School receives a $100 Read Naturally Gift Certificate.

Staff at Lucy S. Herring Elementary began using Read Live for the first time this school year with fourth and fifth graders and have already seen significant growth. Some initially reluctant readers are now reading multiple grade levels above where they started. One student with dyslexia, who previously did not want to read at home, is now reading Pride and Prejudice! Other students who began close to grade level have now exceeded it, with dramatic improvements in comprehension as well.
 
Students are enjoying Read Live’s high-interest nonfiction stories so much that one student even suggested finding additional books connected to the story topics for literacy groups.

Teachers use the data provided by Read Live to ensure students receive targeted support and explicit instruction as needed. Thanks to their dedicated efforts, students’ reading abilities and confidence have grown, and students and teachers alike are celebrating their newfound success.

Lucy S Herring Elementary School is a model of excellence in literacy instruction and a very deserving awardee of the Read Live School of the Year scholarship.

Northwood Elementary School

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Submitted by Amy Guzior, Reading Specialist

Northwood Elementary School receives a $100 Read Naturally Gift Certificate.

For third graders at Northwood Elementary School, literacy goals center on the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Northwood staff recognize the importance of targeted support in strengthening students’ reading fluency so they can successfully access grade-level content—and Read Live allows them to do that in a structured, efficient way.

Northwood staff are committed to implementing the program with fidelity. Thanks to their deep knowledge of Read Live, strong relationships with students, and careful organization and attention to detail, students are making meaningful growth every day. Staff have also added their own personal touch to the program by creating “brag tags”: students wear lanyards and earn a bead for every story they complete, providing a powerful visual reminder of their hard work and progress. One student shares, “It makes me feel proud because I know I’m getting better at reading.”  

As students experience success in Read Live, they begin to see themselves as capable readers. This shift is reflected in their behavior and attitudes, with teachers noting improvements in students’ willingness to participate in classroom reading activities and discussions. 

Northwood Elementary School is a model of excellence in literacy instruction and a very deserving awardee of the Read Live School of the Year scholarship.
 

Wapakoneta Middle School

Wapakoneta, Ohio

Submitted by Katie Dietrich, Special Education Teacher

Wapakoneta Middle School receives a $100 Read Naturally Gift Certificate.

Just over five years ago, Wapakoneta Middle School began working toward a district-wide commitment to improving reading outcomes for all students. As part of this effort, they expanded their use of Read Live during a school-wide resource period to help students develop fluency and comprehension skills. Over time, they further strengthened their implementation by incorporating the phonics tools, with staff working collaboratively to provide targeted support based on each student’s unique needs.

As a result, students have demonstrated measurable growth in reading ability, performance on NWEA MAP ELA and Oral Reading Fluency measures has steadily increased, and perhaps most notably, the number of students requiring intensive reading intervention has significantly decreased.

Wapakoneta Middle School has found effective, sustainable success through its efforts over the past several years. They are a model of excellence in literacy instruction and a very deserving awardee of the Read Live School of the Year scholarship.