In conjunction with the Just Read, Florida! Office of the Department of Education, Duval County Public Schools recently hosted “Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!”  with a wide-variety of events throughout the district, including a special visit by Florida First Lady Ann Scott for the launch of the Million Minute Marathon, an initiative for every student to read independently for 20 minutes on January 25.

First Lady Scott joined Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals, School Board members and the students and staff of Kirby-Smith Middle School to kick off the Million Minute Marathon and Celebrate Literacy Week.

During her time at Kirby-Smith, First Lady Scott spoke to the students about the importance of reading and also read excerpts from the classic novel Little Women. The students acted out Governor Rick Scott’s inaugural speech and portrayed the book How Much is a Million? with a dramatic presentation.

The goals of “Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!” are to promote literacy throughout the state by raising awareness of the state’s and districts’ programs and projects, and most of all, to promote the enjoyment of reading for children and adults of all ages.

Additional school events that occurred throughout the district can be found on our website at www.duvalschools.org.