Home » Nonprofit Articles » Monarch School Student to Travel to Atlanta for Young Adult Library Association (YALSA) WrestleMania Reading Challenge Competition
Monarch School Student to Travel to Atlanta for Young Adult Library Association (YALSA) WrestleMania Reading Challenge Competition
12th Grade Student at San Diego School for Youth Impacted by Homelessness Joins Twenty Other Students at National Competition; Wins $2,000 Prize for Monarch School Library
DANA POINT, CA, March 17, 2011 /Nonprofit PR News/ -- Twenty-one students throughout the U.S. and Canada will meet in Atlanta for WrestleMania XXVII to compete for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) ringside tickets. In the program sponsored by WWE and the Young Adult Library Association (YALSA), students pledged to read five books between October 17, 2010, and April 3, 2011, and create a story or illustration involving their favorite wrestler and literary character. After winning at the school level for his drawing with the slogan "Reading Makes You a Winner," Roberto Cortez, a senior at Monarch School, was selected as one of 21 students to attend the WWE WrestleMania competition in Atlanta. As a finalist, Cortez also won $2,000 to go toward the purchase of reading materials for Monarch School's library, as well as a set of books for the library donated by Penguin Publishers.
Literacy is a topic of both local and national concern, as falling test scores and lower graduation rates among teens are serious issues. However, at Monarch School, a San Diego-based public school and non-profit partnership that provides a quality education to help youth break the cycle of chronic homelessness, test scores have been on a steady incline. In fact, while the average student arrives at Monarch School three years behind grade level, recent test scores show that for every six months a child attends Monarch, he or she will progress more than a year academically.
Among the graduating seniors is Cortez, who noted, "I'm really excited to have come this far in the competition. I encourage other students to just go for it. You never know what can happen until you try."
The youngest of seven children, Cortez looks forward to graduation, college and working toward his dream of becoming a WWE wrestler. Cortez will travel with his older brother and Ms. Direen, the Monarch School librarian, to Atlanta on April 1, where he will participate in a trivia contest about an assigned book. The winner of the trivia will be rewarded with ringside tickets to the WrestleMania competition.
"We are so proud of Roberto's accomplishments," said Joel Garcia, principal, Monarch School. "Roberto is one example of our students overcoming circumstances beyond their control and finding success in academics."
This fall, Monarch School will break ground on its new campus in Barrio Logan, just south of Petco Park, to serve more than double its current student population. For more information about Monarch School and opportunities to donate and volunteer, visit http://monarchschools.org or call (619) 685-8242, ext. 226.
About Monarch School:
Founded in 1988, Monarch School is a public K-12 school for students impacted by homelessness, and a public-private partnership that fosters a quality education while supplementing students' basic needs. Monarch School aims to be a nationally recognized model for how a community can prepare its homeless and at-risk children to achieve success through the provision of an accredited education, along with enrichment programs, developing social skills, support services and basic necessities. Monarch School will break ground on its new campus in downtown San Diego in fall 2011. For more information, visit http://monarchschools.org or call (619) 685-8242, ext. 226.
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