Read to Ride encourages healthy minds, bodies

Wequonnoc Magnet Elementary School students Madison Seifert, left, Lily Scolaro, Jaymarie Bass and Isabella Harrison-Delorto with the bikes they won for participating in the Read to Ride program. Ryan Blessing/ NorwichBulletin.com

NORWICH — After doing a whole lot of reading to exercise their minds, a few lucky students at Wequonnoc Magnet Elementary School now have new bikes to exercise their bodies.

Eight students from kindergarten through third grade received new two-wheel bikes on Thursday thanks to the nonprofit Read to Ride Program.

The entire student body assembled in the gymnasium at the school for a brief pep rally and award ceremony where each of the winning students was called to the front of the audience to stand next to their new bike. There were eight bikes: one each for girls from kindergarten through grade three and a corresponding set for the boys.

An additional five students in grades four and five received $100 gift certificate to Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“What we do is encourage kids to read,” Wequonnoc School family liaison Jean Maignan said.

The students read for about 20 minutes each night, logging what they read. The next day, they would present the logs to their teacher and receive a coupon or ticket that was entered into the drawing for the prizes, Maignan said.

The Read to Ride program is headed up by its president, Billy Caron, who is also a Montville Town Councilor. Its aim is to promote literacy throughout area schools.

“When you see the smiles on their faces, that’s what this is all about,” Caron said.

The program has done similar rallies and drawings for bikes in schools in Norwich, Montville and Bozrah.

Read to Ride began at Wequonnoc, and was started through efforts of former Norwich Mayor Benjamin Lathrop.

“He just realized there was a need to increase the excitement about reading in the school system,” Read to Ride school liaison Brandon Hyde, of Hyde Park Landscaping, said. “And also exercise and stay healthy.”

It’s been helped financially in its mission by a number of area businesses and organizations, including the Mohegan Tribe and the Edward and Mary Lord Foundation. The volunteer group raises about $22,000 yearly to purchase the bikes, gift certificates and a Read to Ride T-shirt for each winner.

It was Hyde who led the pep rally to award the bikes. After each student’s name was drawn from a large jug, he read the boy’s or girl’s name, and the students erupted in cheers and applause. The children gave Hyde high-fives, danced around and fidgeted next to their new bikes.

“I can’t believe it,” kindergarten student Mason Davis said.