McALLEN — Valerie Godoy always has a book by her side, reading throughout the day and staying up for one more chapter until it’s 3 or 4 a.m.
This school year, the 12-year-old read over 4 million words, an accomplishment recognized Sunday with plenty of fanfare.
Valerie got dressed for the day, per her parent’s instructions. She was confused about what was going on, but it soon became clear as the McDonald’s Play Van appeared in front of her home, followed by a line of vehicles shouting her name.
Officials from Valerie’s school, McAllen ISD’s Alonzo De Leon Middle School, and fun ambassadors from the McDonald’s Play Van had come together to celebrate her feat.
“She is an excellent reader, but she’s just all around a great student who took advantage of not only continuing to read during the pandemic but being able to access books during this distance learning time,” said Samuel Cazares, principal of De Leon Middle School.
Last month, the school had been contacted by the McDonald’s Play Van representatives if it would like to recognize a student through the program. This was the first time the program recognized middle-school students, said Michelle Alanis, Valerie’s school counselor.
After discussing with staff and faculty, the school chose sixth-grader Valerie based on her academic achievements.
“Valerie is our top reader for Accelerated Reader, and then she’s also the top reader in general for the campus,” said Alanis. “She’s also involved in our International Baccalaureate program, which is a more rigorous program on our campus. The teachers have always said that she goes above and beyond, so this was our way of going the extra mile for her.”
The McDonald’s Play Van ambassadors gave Valerie the opportunity to choose an arcade game to play for a week out of several options, including Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Galaga. At first, she was unsure of which to pick and invited her brothers to help choose before deciding Rampage would be fun.
“It’ll be nice to see her catching up with some of the games we grew up on,” said Daniela Godoy, Valerie’s mother. “We’re a little nostalgic and proud of her.”
In her first year of middle school, Valerie read about 70 books. Some of her favorite series include Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga.
Her love of reading grew out of a friendly competition between her and one of her two brothers. As her parents, Daniela and Martin Godoy are “extremely proud.”
“She’s leading the way, leading an example for her brothers to pick up on a book,” Daniela said.
The fun ambassadors also presented Valerie with a trophy based on the franchise, while her principal gave her a goodie basket. Her school’s mascot, a lion, also showed up as other school officials and family members expressed their pride with balloon hats on their head and smiles on their faces.
Valerie’s mother added, “It’s extremely surprising, but very exciting, especially seeing our daughter so happy and surprised.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated May 21, 2021, to correct the photo captions regarding the amount of words Godoy read.
