By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News | Photos by Jordan Buscarini

A cacophony of cheers and sirens filled the air of Price City on Thursday, Sept. 18, as Castle Heights Elementary celebrated the many readers at the school with its summer reading parade. Accompanied by public figures and first responders, the celebration of education served to build a continued love of reading for students.

Over the summer, the state bought four books for every student in kindergarten through third grade. At Castle Heights, the PTA contributed funds to help the upper-grade students receive four books as well.

Students were then encouraged to log each book they read over the summer, with each student who read six or more books earning the opportunity to march in the parade.

To help keep the vibe joyous, Jordan Buscarini and KRPX 95.3 the Peak provided live music, pumping the sound down the city block for all to enjoy.

In a previous interview with Castle Country Radio, Castle Heights Principal Wendy Fluckey spoke on the impact of programs like summer reading have had on the school: “We are looking at our data, and we’ve seen a slow increase in the number of students that are proficient. Our reading data last year at the end of the year showed that we had 78% of our students that were proficient in their reading. So we’re seeing that slow increase of proficiency, and we’re really excited about that.”

“Thank you to Jordan Buscarini, KRPX, Carbon County Sheriff’s Department and Ambulance, Price City Police and Fire Department, and Price City for making our parade so much fun,” reads a social media post from the school. “Castle Heights Knights Love to Read!”