Marietta Student Receives National Literacy Award

MARIETTA, GA -- Jocelyn Contreras, a 4th grade student at LaBelle Elementary School, has been named one of only 15 recipients of the prestigious 2016 180 Student Awards from global learning company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The awards, now in their 10th year, honor students across the United States for turning their lives around by achieving reading and math literacy using intensive intervention programs READ 180, MATH 180 and System 44.

Jocelyn stood out in the application process for not only her incredible academic gains, but also for her perseverance and dedication to learning. Despite living in a household where no English is spoken, Jocelyn has improved her English to the point where she no longer requires ESOL services and she hopes to one day attend college to become a doctor.

“I consider Jocelyn a leader in my classroom,” says homeroom teacher Amanda Dillard. “Because of READ 180, her grades have improved not only in reading, but across the board, and her fellow students regularly seek her out for help in both math and reading.”

Jocelyn will receive a $1,000 prize for furthering her education, while Cobb County School District will receive $1,000 worth of HMH educational materials.

“I used to hate reading and think it was boring,” says Jocelyn. “Now when my mom tells me to go to bed, I stay up reading at night. Reading better helped me understand other subjects in school and when I finally scored at my grade level, I felt so happy that I wanted to jump.”