HOT SPRINGS - Hot Springs High School students hosted a carnival on Thursday to reward elementary student readers with an array of events from bowling to face painting to pie throwing. The event, intended to foster an appreciation of reading, created a festive setting for kids to celebrate their achievements and have a little fun on the side.

Older peers decked out in oversized sunglasses, hats and makeup set up multiple events for the kids, playfully encouraging the young readers to throw whip cream pies, shoot water guns at lit candles and shoot baskets for prizes.

The gym at the high school was artfully decorated, anticipating the arrival of the elementary school kids who rushed the floor, vying for a place in line to get their face painted or to take a turn trying to lasso a hay-bale bull.

Occasionally distracted by a prize drawing or an elder student getting pasted with a pie to the face, avid readers took time off from literary responsibilities to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The event was a reward for reading a certain amount of books in a specific time period.

Tickets redeemable for prizes and the right to participate in events were cashed in by students for the opportunity to throw footballs through a hoop, pin the tail on the pig or to toss a volleyball at a lineup of bowling pins.

According to Superintendent Kevin Meredith, “The reading carnival has proven to be an excellent motivator to get students reading. The students spend a significant amount of time earning tickets to use at the carnival. It is a positive way to motivate students and promote reading importance.”

“Many students that are generally less interested in reading, are often found focusing all their spare time on reading and earning tickets,” added Meredith.