30 Houston-area students with improved school attendance win Kindle Fire tablets

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- More than two-dozen Houston-area students who've improved their school attendance rate are being rewarded for their efforts.

Kindle Fire tablets are being given to 30 students in the Alief, Houston and Spring Branch Independent school districts after they improved their attendance in the spring semester. The reward is part of partnership between CITGO and the Harris County Sheriff's Office to boost attendance at six Houston-area high schools.

"The 'Kindling Young Minds' program has proven to be an excellent way to motivate our students to strive for improved attendance," Patrick Cherry, principal at Hastings High School, said in a prepared statement. "The Kindle Fire tablets help students complete schoolwork at home or on the go, and the partnership with CITGO and HCSO has been a true win-win for the kids and the schools. Our students love technology and we are thankful that we can provide them with tools that help them learn and support their academic achievement."

As part of the program, each school district identified two campuses experiencing high absenteeism then told its students about the reward program. Then from each campus, five students who demonstrated either perfect or improved attendance were randomly selected to win the tablets.

"We launched the 'Kindling Young Minds' program to remind students that each day counts," Sheriff Adrian Garcia said in prepared statement. "We are excited to revisit the schools to see how the initiative has improved school attendance in the Houston area. As the Sheriff of Harris County, I know that education is the key to ensuring a crime free and safe Harris County. Kids that stay in school, stay off the streets and out of jail."