Schools

McNair Celebrates Reading with Rocket Launch

The school launched off rockets on Thursday in celebration of completing its reading goal

McNair Elementary School students and teachers celebrated surpassing the school's reading goal by launching rockets on Thursday. 

Students and teachers read 15,030 books in the past five weeks, stretching way beyond its goal of 14,300. The reading program, which the school started a few years ago, helps prepare students to start reading for fun again as summer approaches and school lets out, said McNair Technology Specialist Laura Reasoner Jones.

Each year educators and administrators at the school come up with a fun activity or goofy stunt to celebrate—including having the assistant principal kiss a goat one year. The rocket launch was a secret up until Thursday. Students were given video hints throughout the week as to what the activity would be.

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Sixth grade student Joel Yang said he was surprised to get out of the classroom for an activity. "I think it was amazing," he said of the rocket launch. He said he read about 40 books during the reading challenge.

Skyler Abunijmeh, also a sixth grade student, said she thought the rocket launch was really interesting. She said she's never seen anyone shoot rockets off at school before and she was surprised to learn it was the activity chosen.

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Fifth grade students Purnaja and Mridula said they learned of the activity that morning and were really excited to watch the rocket launch. They said after seeing the video hints they thought it might be fireworks, but the rockets were even more surprising.


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