Enrique Rodriguez recognized nationally, statewide for most books read this summer
Former Rick Schneider Middle School student Enrique Rodriguez won second place nationally for the most books read by a middle school student during myON's second annual Summer SuperHero reading program. He was the only student in Texas to capture one of the top spots. The South Houston Intermediate seventh grader dedicated 89 hours to reading 274 books during his summer vacation. In recognition of his accomplishment, Rodriguez received an iPAD Mini.
Enrique Rodriguez recognized nationally, statewide for most books read this summer
It is every educator’s dream for students to spend their summer vacation engrossed in a book. Thanks to former Rick Schneider Middle School's Enrique Rodriguez, their dreams have come true.
When Rodriguez was a sixth grader at Schneider, he participated in myON’s second annual Summer “Superhero” program, a voluntary reading initiative which encourages students across the country to dive into a good book and have fun while competing during their summer vacations.
More than 65,000 students in 4,200 schools took advantage of the unique opportunity, including Rodriguez, who read 274 books for a total of 89 hours, earning him second place nationally for the most books read by a middle school student.
He was the only Texas student to capture one of the top spots.
“We are just so proud of him,” Maria Nela Rodriguez, Enrique's mother, said. “He surprised me. The whole summer, he just wanted to read. One day, I asked him if he wanted breakfast and he said, ‘No mom, I’m reading.'"
The South Houston Intermediate seventh grader was invited back to Schneider to be recognized for his accomplishment in front of his former classmates, teachers and staff during an assembly.
When Rodriguez went on stage, alongside the school’s principal Marsha Jones and myON representatives, Carl Franklin and Linda Bessmer, excitement and joy filled the air as he was presented with an iPad Mini and a certificate of recognition.
“I am just really proud that he set a goal and behind that goal went a lot of hard work and determination, and look at what he accomplished,” Jones said. “I use his success as an example with our teachers to show just what our kids can do. His success is our success and he has set a national example here at Schneider Middle School. He represented Pasadena ISD and our schools and we’re very proud of him.”
The myON representatives said they stopped by the school because they did not want to miss out on the opportunity to congratulate Rodriguez on a job well done.
“Enrique is the embodiment of everything that myON is about,” Franklin said. “His success is our success and we want to see everyone achieve at a similar level. And if we can do anything to help in the process we will do it and we hope to see the rest of the students follow his example.”
‘Read More’ About myON
- myON is an online program, which personalizes reading for students by recommending books based on interests, reading level and ratings of books read.
- Since the platform launched in January 2011, more than 2 milllion students have logged on to read upwards of 4.25 million books.
- For more information, visit www.myON.com