Colleen Leonard

Leonard's program "Fertitta Reading Festival" will inspire and engage students at Victoria Fertitta Middle School as they participate in a year-long "Battle of the Books" competition designed to enhance their appreciation for reading and foster their critical-thinking skills. The proposed school-wide festival would require students to read select books, be involved in discussion groups, and participate in preliminary quiz competitions as a team. In the spring, the top-ranked teams will compete and students will be recognized in an awards ceremony to honor their reading achievements. Leonard believes the program will reinforce the importance of reading, recognize students' achievements beyond standardized assessments, and strengthen the home-school connection by involving families in literacy learning. According to Leonard, students will also have a heightened sense of pride and ownership for their learning and cultivate important life skills through their collaboration with peers to achieve a common goal. She resides in Las Vegas.