News
Inaugural Summer Reading Day a Big Hit
Posted September 24, 2012
In its first year, the Upper School Summer Reading Program was a huge success. More than 40 books were sponsored, read, and later discussed at the Upper School’s Reading Day on Sept. 6.
“I was thrilled by how many teachers volunteered almost instantly, and was also happy to see many of them team up to co-sponsor books and activities,” said Assistant Head of School/Head of Upper School Rich Schellhas. “I was equally thrilled that every single student who filled out a preference form got one of his/her top five choices. Finally, given the Upper School’s commitment to exploring issues raised by the Stanford University Challenge Success program, I knew that increasing student engagement in one piece of their academic puzzle would be beneficial, and that that could potentially have a trickle-down effect on the regular school-year curriculum.”
The program allowed faculty members to select and sponsor books for students to read over the summer. The sponsors then led discussions and related activities on Upper School Reading Day, the day before official classes began. For example, students who read “Julie and Julia” cooked an authentic French meal with faculty sponsor and Upper School Visual Arts Department Head Gaby Russomagno.
“Personally this year’s Summer Reading Day was one of my favorite days I’ve had at GA,” said Mr. Schellhas, who sponsored “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green. “My group was completely passionate about what they read, and most of them had already begun to read other books by the same author.”
The goal of summer reading is to inspire students to read beyond the school’s requirements. GA’s program provides students with the opportunity to choose a book that interests them.
CLICK HERE to see a list of books that were read this summer.
CLICK HERE to see photos from Summer Reading Day.
