Melodie Hessling

At a school where the entire population of students are Latin immigrants learning English for the first time, Hessling recognized the importance of encouraging independent reading in a fun way. She designed the "Burn Rubber, Open a Book Cover" program to track progression of reading and comprehension for the school's male population. Students will be assigned a "race car" with their name on it placed on a racetrack, and cars will move when points are earned from reading exercises. Points may be earned through literature activities such as an annual poetry reading contest, library lock-ins, field trips and a school-wide comprehension and retention contest. In addition, the first 45 minutes of each school day will be set aside for independent reading. Students will be recognized for their achievements at weekly school assemblies, instilling pride and motivation to achieve. The funds received will be used to enhance the school library's resources and to finance field trips and projects in related topics. Family members of past participants have said that the increased interest in reading has modeled positive behavior for sibling s and increased interest in learning English for parents. Hessling lives in Milwaukee.