The Fort Worth ISD formally began the school year on Tuesday, Sept. 8 with virtual learning only. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, The Fort Worth ISD School Board voted to extend virtual learning through Monday, Oct. 19 with a staggered option for in-person learning for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. 

“We went back and forth deciding whether to continue the program or take a year off due to the uncertainty with classroom schedules,” co-founder Justin Hernandez said. “After multiple discussions with our principals, we decided it was important to continue despite the challenges and began working on a plan to take the program virtual.”

Justin Hernandez kicked off the program with an online video introducing this year’s prizes to the students: sunglasses, emoji backpack clip, whoopee cushion, latex punch balloon and drawstring bag. All physical engagements, which the organization had previously conducted in-person, will also move online with the first virtual engagement scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23.

MM is the organization’s largest program and currently supports more than 1,600 students at four Fort Worth ISD elementary schools, including Diamond Hill, Washington Heights, Cesar Chavez and Van Zandt-Guinn. The incentive-based reading program rewards students for reaching each of Maven the Raven’s milestones: Ascent, Afterburner, Approach and Call Sign Maven. Each milestone represents a specific number of points that the students earn by reading books and passing online quizzes.

The goals of the program are to increase elementary school reading levels, improve standardized testing results and encourage students to become lifelong readers. IP also coordinates interactive student engagements and provides school-specific reading trends to administrators.