SPEED READER

By DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

BOARDMAN — Stadium Drive Elementary School fourth-grader Simon Pusateri, 10, started the school year with a goal.

“He came in the first day and told me, ‘I’m going to break that record,’” Principal Jim Goske said.

Simon, the son of Sue and Keith Pusateri and an avid reader, was talking about the school’s record in the accelerated reading program. Last year, a fourth-grader, who also is a friend of Simon’s, set the record at 809 points.

On May 28, Simon broke it with 822.1 points. He says he would have done it a day earlier, but he went home sick.

“I wanted to do it when I was in third grade, but I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to because I set the goal late in the year,” Simon said.

This year though, he was ready. His mom says he started reading and racking up points last summer.

All told, Simon read 210 books and his teacher, Ginny Yazbek, figured that totals more than 5 million words.

Since reaching his goal, though, Simon hasn’t kept his nose out of books.

“I’ve read a few small books that weren’t on the accelerated reading list,” he said.

In the AR program, students read books and then answer test questions to gauge their reading comprehension. A computer program assesses points based on the length of the book, its difficulty and how well the student answers the questions.

Jennie Ross, reading specialist, brought the accelerated reading program to Stadium about 16 years ago. She credits Goske and the school’s PTA for allowing it to thrive.

The PTA has provided money to buy software to expand the offerings, and Goske awards the students and reports high-point totals during morning announcements, she said.

Simon’s love of reading started early, his mother said

“Simon has always been a reader,” she said. “He always carried books around from the time he was a toddler.”

Sue Pusateri says she and her husband encouraged Simon, reading to him when he was very young and encouraging him to read to them as he grew older. She also acknowledges the work of his teachers.

The early habit stuck.

“I just like to read because things can happen that can’t happen in real life,” Simon said.

Animals can talk for example.

He prefers fiction works and lists “Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian” as his favorite book of the year and maybe his favorite ever.

“It’s about Greek mythology and demigods,” Simon said.

The Warrior series of novels is another of his favorites. He’s read them all and even introduced a few of his classmates to the works.

But it’s more than his reading prowess that impresses his teachers.

“He is just the most compassionate boy,” said Shirley Janoski, Simon’s third-grade teacher.

“You’re going to be voting for him some day,” Ross added.