Science Hill kicks off yearlong reading challenge

 

It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop last Thursday in the Science Hill High School Library, but a fierce competition was underway.

 

Students thumbing through pages were competing in the Hilltopper Readers’ Cup, a schoolwide, yearlong reading challenge. The read-in last Thursday was the first event of several designed by Library Media Specialist Anne Timbs to promote literacy and the joy of reading.

 

“The purpose of the Hilltopper Readers’ Cup is to encourage students to read,” Timbs said. “Reading has many benefits including boosting academic success, developing critical thinking skills, and reducing stress.”

 

Students compete as individuals and contribute to their grades’ scores. They earn points by reading and taking part in challenges and events. Every minute of reading logged on the Beanstack app in the student portal counts as a point. Additional points were awarded for participating in the Thursday read-in and can be earned by taking part in a second event in March.

 

All reading counts — for class, for fun, even audiobooks — as long as the time spent reading is logged on Beanstack.

 

In May, Timbs will tally the points and the top individual with the most points will win a grand prize of the Hilltopper Reader Award. The grade with the most points will win the Hilltopper Readers’ Cup and will be immortalized on an engraved trophy to be kept in a display case in the library.

 

During a monthlong reading challenge last April, students rocketed past Timbs’ goal of 20,000 minutes, logging a whopping 130,666 minutes. This year, the schoolwide goal is 1 million minutes of reading.