A first-year Boynton Beach elementary school has turned leisure reading over the summer into a world record.

Sunset Palms Elementary, 8650 Boynton Beach Blvd., amassed 683,057 summer reading minutes, which secured them a first place in the Scholastic Book of World Records 2010.

The Scholastic Read for the World Record was a program designed to get students reading four or more books over the summer to help prevent the effects of time off from school and keep students from getting complacent.

“I think they determined that if the children read four or more books over the time off, that would help them avoid the summer slide,” said Allison Mittleman, the school's media specialist.

The summer program began May 1 and students have been entering the time they spend reading on www.scholastic.com/summer. 


“Our original goal was actually 1 million minutes, where if every kid read 20 minutes a day, seven days a week, it could work,” Mittleman said. “But I think setting the record is just as good.”

The school had more than 750 students last year when the challenge began and now has an enrollment of more than 900 with the new year.

Karen Riddle, principal of Sunset Palms, said it is obvious through setting the world record that the school accomplished its goal to instill a love of reading at Sunset Palms Elementary.

An assembly took place Sept. 24, where Pacheco and other Scholastic representatives came down to congratulate the students on the record.

For more information call Sunset Palms Elementary Media Specialist at 561-752-3344.

Read more about this story and see photos of the assemblies in the Sept. 30 issue of the Boynton Forum. 


Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.