When it comes to encouraging students to read, Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon is willing to do whatever it takes to motivate them.
In 2022, when Dr. Witherspoon issued his first Superintendent’s Book Club challenge to students, they met and exceeded the reading goal and he let students tape him to a wall. Students also met and exceeded the Book Club challenge goals the next two years and they got to dunk him in a dunk tank and douse him with slime.
To become Superintendent’s Book Club members this year, students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade must read for at least 1,500 minutes from January 13 through March 17. Book Club members will be invited to a special reading celebration in April.
If students collectively read for two million minutes, the top elementary and top middle school students will get to spray Dr. Witherspoon with Silly String during the reading celebration.
“I’m confident our students will be able to meet the challenge again this year,” said Dr. Witherspoon “I don’t mind getting sprayed with Silly String or slimed, as long as I know the students are taking the time to enjoy the books they’re reading.”
Last year’s challenge was the first year students tracked the number of minutes they’ve read instead of the number of books. The goal was for students to read for 1.5 million minutes. Students across the district exceeded the goal by reading for 6,010,907 minutes.
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