Panther Valley Elementary students partied down to celebrate another successful year of the school's 100-book challenge Thursday.

As the students in grades K-3 danced and sipped frozen drinks from a tiki bar at a luau in their honor, they were also being recognized for a year full of reading books provided through a grant from the Ametek Foundation.Each year, Ametek provides a $100,000 grant to the district to purchase books and hold professional development for its teachers."This is our end of year celebration for that program," Principal Robert Palazzo said. We're very proud of all the students. They all do a fantastic job trying to make sure they're reading."Panther Valley has held the 100-book challenge for more than a decade, thanks to Ametek.Students get to choose the books they read, regardless of their reading level. Each day, the students get 30 minutes of reading time in school, and are encouraged to read for at least 15 minutes at home. The books are purchased from the American Reading Company, which helps facilitate the program and train teachers."We're really here to ignite a passion for reading," Kathy Osorio of the American Reading Company, said. "We want that love, joy and success from the very beginning."The luau is just one way that the program rewards the young readers. For each 15 minutes they read, it counts as a "step." After each 100 steps, they get a medal. They hold events throughout the year to recognize the students' progress and encourage them to keep reading.On Thursday, Palazzo took off his principal's hat and served as DJ for the luau. In between songs like "Can't stop the feeling!" and "Watch me (Whip/Nene)" he reminded them to continue their reading over the summer - regardless of whether it's a book, newspaper, or magazine. Osorio said they hope that they hope having students enjoy reading will then carry over to their peers and family members."We want a community of readers. That's the goal," she said.