From Morocco, With Stories: An Epic Educator Ambassador Bringing Online Books to Life for Students

Athouraya serves around 800 students from a range of backgrounds. As English Language Supervisor, Moulay leads the effort to build consistent reading practices across the school. “My role is to embed structured reading practices, support teachers pedagogically and ensure digital reading aligns with curriculum goals and students’ developmental needs,” he explains.

The school needed more than just books. They needed something that would make reading easy to access, engaging to students and useful to teachers.

“We needed a platform that makes reading accessible, motivating and measurable,” Moulay says. “Epic offered rich leveled content, audio support and clear data, turning reading into a daily habit rather than a one-off activity.”

Now, every class at Athouraya has a structured Epic session each week. It’s not just open reading time. There’s modeled reading, silent reading, comprehension tasks and guided discussions. Students are also encouraged to read at home, with many logging minutes outside of school on their own.

Reading is no longer a separate academic task. It’s something students expect. And, more importantly, something they enjoy.

The impact is already visible. “Students are more engaged, more autonomous and far more willing to talk about books,” Moulay says. “Reading is now perceived as enjoyable and social, not remedial or purely academic.”

Teachers have also noticed a boost in fluency, vocabulary and oral expression. “Teachers reported clear improvement in fluency, confidence, listening comprehension and use of new vocabulary—especially among reluctant readers.”

Moulay also runs a national Youth Writing Program that’s published three anthologies written entirely by Moroccan students in English. He’s seen firsthand how more reading leads to stronger writing.

“I strongly believe—and have seen in practice—that increased reading volume and exposure to quality texts through Epic directly strengthens students’ writing skills, particularly in vocabulary range, narrative structure and creative expression. Reading widely has proven to be the most effective gateway to confident, meaningful student writing.”

Moulay Larbi Arbaoui is an English Language Supervisor and Epic Educator Ambassador at Athouraya Private School in Morocco, where he leads schoolwide reading initiatives for more than 800 primary students. He is also the Director of a national Youth Writing Program that empowers Moroccan students to write and publish original short stories in English. A passionate advocate for literacy, Moulay believes that joyful reading is the foundation of confident writing, strong language development and lifelong learning.