Jemison student wins reading contest

Published 3:17 pm Monday, November 25, 2013

Jemison Elementary School second grader Kelsey Eloff won three tickets to the Iron Bowl after participating in a reading contest. Third grade teacher Susan Daniels, Sarah and Charlie Eloff and Molly, Zoe and Connor along with Jemison Elementary Principal Louise Pitts stand next to Eloff (center) after a surprise school assembly on Friday.

Jemison Elementary School second grader Kelsey Eloff won three tickets to the Iron Bowl after participating in a reading contest.
Third grade teacher Susan Daniels, Sarah and Charlie Eloff and Molly, Zoe and Connor along with Jemison Elementary Principal Louise Pitts stand next to Eloff (center) after a surprise school assembly on Friday.

After reading six books for a reading contest, Jemison Elementary School second grader Kelsey Eloff found out on Friday she won three tickets to the Iron Bowl.

Eloff, along with the rest of the student body at Jemison Elementar, was called to a surprise school assembly Friday at 1:30 p.m. where Eloff found out she won the contest.

“We were very surprised,” Eloff’s mom Sarah Eloff said. “Kelsey has always loved reading. She reads all of the time.”

Eloff won a statewide contest sponsored by Alabama Education Association titled “Be a Champion and Read.”

Students were challenged to read six, reading-level appropriate books to qualify for the grand prize of three tickets to the Iron Bowl and a visit to the football field before the game.

Eloff was one of three statewide winners to receive the prize. More than 728 schools throughout Alabama participated with 74,362 students reading 446,172 books.

Eloff’s teacher is Susan Daniels.

Although Eloff had a hard time pinpointing what book was her favorite to read, she said she enjoyed reading “The Diary of Anne Frank’ over the summer.

“We are very proud of her,” Sarah Eloff said. “This is a wonderful accomplishment.”