These past few weeks at BookNook HQ in Oakland, we’ve been in the midst of our own Olympics. And no, we’re not talking about the March Reading Madness we’re working on with all of the schools using BookNook. We’ve been working hard with Olympic athlete Kristi Yamaguchi.
In 1992, Kristi Yamaguchi won Gold in Women’s Singles at the Winter Olympics for the US Ice Skating team. Since that amazing performance, Kristi has worked tirelessly towards improving reading skills and achievement for students. Enter BookNook, which is in the hands of thousands of students across 14 states. After speaking with Kristi about BookNook’s vision of improving achievement for students across the country in all types of educational settings as well as helping students achieve their dreams by encouraging academic success, she agreed to have her books featured alongside BookNook’s already growing library of engaging texts for students.
This is perfect for us here at BookNook. Since we’re a double-bottom line business – we seek to both produce a profit as well as make an impact on students’ lives by increasing their achievement through literacy – Kristi fits right in. Not only do we want her books to enrich our library of engaging text for students to read, but we want to show students that they can achieve their dreams just like Kristi was able to in the 1992 Olympics.
Kristi also has a passion for what BookNook is doing. Since winning a gold medal, Kristi has started her own nonprofit, the Always Dream Foundation, which focuses on getting students access to reading help through technology. It was an amazing match for both Kristi and BookNook to showcase her personal story and books.
And, of course, we’re excited that this showcases BookNook’s flexible technology. Much like the rest of our books, Kristi’s book will be uploaded into our system with an attached lesson that will be available to any parent, volunteer, teacher, or even near-peer to walk students through the easy-to-use app any day of the week.
Read the press release here, and if you’re interested in seeing BookNook in action, sign up for a demo here.
About BookNook
BookNook's synchronous online learning platform is designed to help schools easily implement high-dosage tutoring using research-driven instruction and consistent tutor relationships.