Posted on May 17, 2022
Rotarians congratulate the 2022 winners of the Claire's Award for Reading Excellence.The Rotary Club of Midland Morning hosted its fourth annual Claire’s Day celebration on May 10 at the Midland Community Center.

The Club honored 2nd grade students who demonstrated significant improvement in their reading skills over the course of the school year with a Claire’s Award for Reading Excellence (C.A.R.E.) Second-grade teachers in all public and private schools in Midland County were invited to nominate students from their classrooms to receive the award.

The Rotary Club of Midland Morning hosted its fourth annual Claire’s Day celebration on May 10 at the Midland Community Center. 
 
The Club honored 2nd grade students who demonstrated significant improvement in their reading skills over the course of the school year with a Claire’s Award for Reading Excellence (C.A.R.E.) Second-grade teachers in all public and private schools in Midland County were invited to nominate students from their classrooms to receive the award.
 
C.A.R.E recipients were:
 
Lucille Bugbee                                 Floyd Elementary
Hunter Butters                                  Adams Elementary
Karson Camp                                   Central Park Elementary
Kaydence Carbeno                         Meridian Elementary
Trenton Falk                                     Meridian Elementary
Kellen Frazee                                   Chestnut Hill Elementary
Carter Hammond                             Chestnut Hill Elementary
Christopher Hopkins                       Chestnut Hill Elementary
Phoenix Horonzy                             Adams Elementary
Ellie Martindale                                Woodcrest Elementary
Layla Pashak                                    Meridian Elementary
Logan Rau                                        Adams Elementary
Milena Sanchez de Marco             Woodcrest Elementary
Gavin Schoener                               Siebert Elementary
Marie Stoll                                         Adams Elementary
Mia Toth                                             Central Park Elementary
Carter Wheeler                                 Meridian Elementary
 
Students received a certificate of achievement, a coupon for ice cream and a book donated by Professor Watermelon, a nationally known children’s author and edu-tainer who inspires children through writing workshops and other activities.
 
The Club also honored elementary school teachers with the Inspirational Teacher Award. The recipients were nominated by their principals for inspiring students to improve their reading skills and imparting a passion for reading.
 
The Inspirational Teachers for 2022 were:
 
Robin Harshman-Rogers               Woodcrest Elementary
Susie Hollingshead                        St. Brigid Catholic School
Emily Holzheuer                              Adams Elementary
Katie Maurer                                     Meridian Elementary
Rebecca Tippman                           Chestnut Hill Elementary
 
Teachers received a gift box filled with classroom supplies, a free book donated by Professor Watermelon and an e-gift-certificate for Scholastic Books.
 
“These awards, which encourage blossoming young readers and their educators, relate to two of Rotary’s key areas of focus: supporting education and growing local economies,” said Lance Lewis, President of the Rotary Club of Midland Morning. “We all know that reading success is fundamental to school success and later to job success and advancement within our economy, so we are happy to support literacy efforts in our local communities.”
 
Kevin Heye of the Rotary Club of Midland Morning and Executive Director of Greater Midland Community Center was the event's Master of Ceremonies. Special guest and local educator Cheryl Levy, also known as “Mrs. Puppets,” engaged the audience with interactive storytelling and reading. The Club is grateful for their services at this event.
 
The Club also thanks the Greater Midland Community Center for providing the venue and Professor Watermelon for donating the children’s books.
 
About Claire’s Day
Claire’s Day, Inc. was created in 2002 in Ohio in honor of Claire Lynsey Rubini who died suddenly as a result of a heart condition.  Claire’s parents, Brad and Julie Rubini, wanted to pay tribute to their daughter who loved reading, storytelling, and music. They started Claire’s Day to inspire adults and children to become lifelong readers through exposure to a variety of literary opportunities. For more information, visit http://www.clairesday.org