SEBASTIAN — A local literacy advocate urged Sebastian city leaders Wednesday to take pride in Indian River County’s growing national profile as a model for childhood reading programs, revealing that a high-profile documentary team is producing a 10-episode series on the area’s efforts.
Marie O’Brien, a representative of the Moonshot Moment initiative, through The Learning Alliance, told the City Council during its regular meeting that the county’s collaborative push to achieve 90% third-grade literacy proficiency has caught the eye of filmmakers behind “Sentenced,” a recent documentary on the hardships of illiteracy co-produced by NBA star Stephen Curry.
O’Brien explained that the filmmakers were so impressed by the community’s unity in supporting literacy that they expanded their project from a single documentary to a multipart series.
She described it as a “master class” intended to guide other communities nationwide.
“They saw what’s happening here and they said, ‘This is so impressive. We’d like to tell the story of Indian River County of how your communities really united together to support literacy,'” O’Brien said. “Instead of it being one documentary, it’s actually 10 episodes. They said it’s more of a master class that they can share with other communities around the nation for us being a literacy capital of the nation.”
The Moonshot Moment, launched in 2010, brings together schools, philanthropists and community groups to improve reading skills among young students in the county, which includes Sebastian and Vero Beach.
Officials say third-grade proficiency rates have risen from 54% a decade ago to 71% today, ranking second in Florida.
The series is set to debut next week with a trailer premiere at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, followed by episodes throughout the school year. Organizers hope it will inspire similar initiatives elsewhere.
