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When elementary students in Ogden complete reading goals, they get a special visit from the Rainbow Express. It's a bus filled with toys that helps motivate kids to read.
The children earn points and then trade in the points for toys. Today students at Wasatch Elementary got their turn.
When the Rainbow Express rolls in, students line up to go inside, but only if they've met their reading goals.
First-grader Logan Klar said, "You have to read a lot." And second grader Brigham Burton told us, "I had to read a lot and test."
Suzanne Bolar, principal of Wasatch Elementary, said, "A lot of them have goals based on their reading capabilities, so they're individualized."
For the older kids it means taking tests after reading a book. For the younger ones, it means learning the alphabet or finishing homework on time.
"When the teachers say, ‘The Rainbow Bus is coming, you need to get this much done,' the kids tend to do it," Bolar said.
The Rainbow Bus visits schools in the Ogden City School District twice a year. And each time, students trade in their tickets for toys.
"We are so grateful that they take their money to support especially literacy," Boler said. "We know that is critical for students to be successful in any area in life. If they get that start right at the beginning, it makes everything easier in school and in life."
First-grader Stella Brower said, "When you grow up you can learn how to read things."
The Rainbow Bus is funded by the Dr. W.C. Swanson Family Foundation.
E-mail: corton@ksl.com
