For the second consecutive month, the Poughkeepsie City School District’s smallest school is home to the Monthly Literacy Leader trophy.
Smith Elementary read the most minutes in the Poughkeepsie Reading Challenge overall, and had the highest average for minutes-per-student, in March.
For the second consecutive month, the district’s second-smallest school, Warring Elementary, placed second in the challenge.
And, the total number of minutes read at those schools and across the district in March dwarfed February’s total, as Poughkeepsie students continued to show a love of reading.
The district is firmly on track to surpass its ultimate goal of reading 1 million cumulative minutes by the end of the school year, with more than 439,000 minutes read in the first two months, including 243,000 in March.
With such success across the district, Superintendent of Schools Gregory Mott on Monday visited not just March’s winners at Smith but also those at Warring to celebrate their achievements.
“I’m proud of you. I’m proud to be here, proud to stand in front of you, proud to motivate you, proud to celebrate you,” Mott told the students. “Continue the good work. Continue to do your best. Continue to stay motivated. Continue to let your light shine, and we will continue to encourage you and celebrate you.”
Smith, with just 217 students, read 53,118 minutes last month, led by Dereck Perez Corea (1,651 minutes) and Lerkvi Urieta-Rivera (1,585), both third-graders. They, along with 18 other top readers, received certificates and special recognition at the school assembly Monday morning. More than 15,000 of Smith’s minutes were read outside of regular school hours.
Warring, a 274-student school, read 44,618.5 minutes in March. Its top reader was fourth-grader Nia Whyte (475.1).
Meanwhile, at Truth Elementary, kindergartener Zyeden Williams totaled 2,380.4 minutes. The 402-student school read 38,425.4 minutes total, third highest in the district.
Other top readers included:

• Clinton Elementary: Oneila Hall (599.4 minutes), fourth grade
• Krieger Elementary: D;Asia Moore (687.2), kindergarten
• Poughkeepsie High School: Anyeli Lux Us (195.3), 11th grade
• Poughkeepsie Middle School: Ny’Zaire Riley (528.3) seventh grade

All the high achievers will be invited to be recognized at a Board of Education meeting later this month.
At the Warring celebration, Principal Nicole Penn drove home the meaning of placing second in the district.
“That means we are dedicated, that means we are committed, that means we are learning. We are excited to read. We have had fun in our reading experiences. Do you think that’s an accomplishment?” she asked to a round of cheers from her students.
Mott likewise praised Warring’s efforts, telling them it wouldn’t be a surprise if they took the top spot in April.
“You all have stepped up and taken this challenge, and said ‘We are going to be the best at it,’” he said, before noting Warring earned the highest scores on the latest state ELA and math assessments, which also garnered cheers. “This Reading Challenge is really just another layer of preparing you for, ultimately, demonstrating your progress you have made over these last 30 or so weeks of school.”
At Smith, Principal Jessica Baruffo noted even more students earned recognition within the school than last month, and encouraged them to continue reading.
“We’re here to celebrate March, but who’s going to win April?” she asked the Smith students. “Us!” some replied. Others yelled “Smith!”
The students at Warring disagreed. But that’s part of the fun of the Reading Challenge.