Monroe Elementary students receive free bicycles for reading accomplishments

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - What’s good in Michiana? How about two students turning their reading accomplishments into a new ride for the summer!

On Tuesday morning, Priority Risk Management presented new bicycles to two students at Monroe Elementary School in South Bend as a prize for winning the school’s reading program.

The two student winners read the most books in their first-grade class, with over 400 books read between the two of them!

Principal Brian Harris said the rewards helped incentivize an important skill.

“When we first showed them the students the bikes, we went around to the first grade classrooms and we showed them bikes they had a chance to win, and if you had been here back in the fall to see the excitement and the joy on their face, you would have said it was all worth it,” he said.

Priority Risk Management said they love finding ways to support youth here in Michiana and were excited to be there for Tuesday’s event.

Meanwhile, Principal Harris didn’t have to worry about lunch on Tuesday afternoon because he had some pie instead!

He was pied by the top four runners from “Girls on the Run.” The last time these students got to pie their principal was in Kindergarten.

“We all said we want to make something big for the last year of us being here, so we said, ‘Why don’t we do a change war for the homeless shelter and have a big prize?’' said Colette Morgan, a fourth grader at Monroe. “And when we told our homeroom, they all got crazy and said, ‘Oh yeah, we want to do that.’ So, then we all just came together and did everything as a team.”

Copyright 2023 WNDU. All rights reserved.