•February 6, 2019•

By Ted Walk,
Supt. Sullivan CUSD #300

Over the past few years Sullivan Middle School has looked for innovative ways to encourage our middle school students to read. The Reading Redskins Program allows students to have a large amount of choice in the genre and level of books that students read, while providing incentives through various competitions. After completing a book, students fill out a form to answer questions about what they read, and the number of pages are recorded. Events are organized throughout the school year that include competitions between grade levels, genders, teachers, and parents. The top reader in each grade receives a copy of a book of choice, as well as has a copy of this book donated to the school library celebrating their accomplishment. Rewards for individuals who reach milestones such as 500 or 1000 pages per quarter vary from school dances, to ice cream parties, to putting slime on the middle school principal. For the past three years, the Reading Redskins Program has led to nearly a million pages read by Sullivan Middle School students annually. Another way that Sullivan Middle School strives to foster a love of reading is through encouragement of engagement in books from the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award List. Students who complete a specified number of books from this list get to vote in the statewide Rebecca Caudill competition as well as have their name entered into a schoolwide raffle for prizes such as a Kindle Fire, headphones, or candy at the end of the year. Additionally, Sullivan Middle School students are able to participate in a Book Club opportunity during which students discuss various novels over a pizza lunch. The value placed upon literacy at the middle school, and all levels, is one of the many reasons that I am proud to be a part of the Sullivan School District, where we strive to be Preparing Students for Successful Lives by Inspiring and Expecting Excellence in Ourselves, Our Community, and in Every Student, Every Day!