Abbeville High’s new reading program: Beyond the Page

A summer conversation between English teachers Tiffany Fontenot and Lauren Howell turned into a brand-new reading program at Abbeville High School called Beyond the Page.
Beyond the Page is based on the popular AR reading program. Each week, students earn prizes based on the points they accumulate. They take a quiz on what they’ve read, using a test generator created by Fontenot and Howell, to determine how many points they receive. Some prizes include snacks, notepads, key chains, ID badge holders, earbuds, and even gift cards to the movies.
There is also a grand prize for the first 25 students to reach 100 points by April 30th. They will be rewarded with a trip to Barnes and Noble, including gift cards and lunch. An additional reward with 2nd& Charles is currently in the works.
“It was a collaborative effort between Lauren and me,” Fontenot said. “We thought about when we first started teaching; we used to participate in AR. We used that as our starting point and went from there.”
The next step was to present the idea to AHS principal Jenni Frick.
“She said, ‘Let’s do it,” Fontenot continued. “She’s actually the one who came up with the idea to go to Barnes and Noble at the end of the year.”
To Frick, it was an easy sell. She was already excited to have the school library open again under the direction of new librarian Taylor Desormeaux. Plus, she understands how important reading and a sense of belonging are to young people.
“With Taylor doing such a fantastic job in the library and then Tiffany and Lauren approaching me with this idea, what better way than to foster a love for reading through this program?,” Frick said.
“We’re ensuring that we’re giving a place and a space to all students. Maybe they don’t excel athletically or even academically, but they want to be a part of a group. This program affords them that opportunity.”
Perhaps the best part of the new program is that it’s completely funded without school resources. Fontenot, Howell, and a private donor have purchased everything the program needs to be successful.
Beyond the Page is now five weeks old, and the response has been spectacular.
“It’s been amazing to see reading become something students are excited about again,” Howell said. “Seeing them visit the library, eager to tell us about the books they’re reading, and looking forward to the trip they can earn has been a wonderful experience. This has been a great addition to our school.
“I can’t wait to see where it takes us!”