Free digital books , news articles for all in tri-cities
As part of Garland ISD ’ s Literacy for Life mission to develop a culture of readers , the district has launched a historic myON community website , offering all tri-city residents free access to more than 6,000 digital books and news articles in multiple languages .
GISD and myON partnered in 2019 – 20 , making # GarlandUSA the only district in North Texas to offer students and community members 24 / 7 access to a digital library . Last year , over 974,000 books were accessed by students who read an impressive 23.7 million pages and over 8.9 million minutes .
While students had accounts that allowed unlimited access to personalized , age-appropriate books and news articles , community members could only check out digital prints in general . Now , anyone who lives in Garland , Rowlett or Sachse can use both myON Books and myON News , as well as a feature to customize reading material .
Users are able to individualize their experience by saving books and articles in their free account , which has cool tools like a read-aloud option . Books are also available in English and Spanish , allowing families an opportunity to improve skills in either language .
We invite every community member to take advantage of myON by creating a free account today at garland . renaissance . com .
Leading the state in esports
In an effort to provide more Science , Technology , Engineering , Arts and Math ( STEAM ) opportunities for students , GISD launched esports clubs at all seven high schools and the Gilbreath-Reed Career and Technical Center last year . To expand the unique program ' s impact , GISD is proud to announce the addition of esports teams at five district middle schools , as well as Memorial Pathway Academy , for 2020 – 21 . The middle school clubs will play as junior varsity teams under their partner high school ' s umbrella .
Esports teaches teamwork , communication , strategic thinking and leadership while providing students who may not be interested in traditional sports programs the opportunity to be on a team . The popular virtual sport is a great example of how students can stay connected and socially distant while developing collaboration and critical thinking skills .
During its first year of launching , Garland ISD ’ s esports program landed a state championship title . Naaman Forest High School ’ s Orange Rocket League team competed against 90-plus high school groups statewide and won the Spring 2020 PlayVS State Championship .
GISD is currently the largest school district to have all of its high schools competing for a state champion esports title . It ’ s important to note that the district has launched this initiative without additional funds , using only existing equipment at campuses .
“ This esports state title shows other districts that it is possible to be competitive without spending thousands of dollars on equipment ,” stated Naaman Forest High School esports coach Lesa Atkinson . “ We want the Garland ISD community to be proud of what we are accomplishing and to recognize the hard work that the esports teams and coaches are putting in to represent our district .”
GISD is committed to providing valuable experiences like esports , which support and nurture a strong sense of teamwork and sportsmanship while also developing discipline and self-esteem .
Contact any middle or high school campus to learn more about our esports program .
2020 – 21 // Issue II 6