by JIM CULLEN

Reacting in (mock?) horror to a passage in Brian Meehl’s “Suck it Up,” a quirky vampire-genre book, Hays CISD middle school librarians (left to right) Susie Krejci, Deanne Aldridge, Betty Copeland, Staci Perkins (with book) and Dianne Mueller are set for the start of their Education Foundation-funded “Read it Forward Hays CISD” grant. (Photo by Jim Cullen)

The bad news, according to a report from the National Endowment of the Arts, is that “Americans are reading less – teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time compared with other age groups and with Americans of previous years.”

What might be done about that is a problematic question, but Hays CISD’s five middle school librarians have an ambitious idea about addressing it and the Hays CISD Education Foundation has funded the idea through an innovative teaching grant.

The five librarians include Deanne Aldridge from Barton Middle School, Dahlstrom Middle School’s Betty Copeland, Chapa Middle School’s Suzanne Krejci, Dianne Mueller from Wallace Middle School and Staci Perkins from Simon Middle School. They are, by all accounts of those who know them, a fiercely committed group of individuals, committed to the learning process through students’ active use of their campus nerve-center facilities. That fierce commitment is what is driving their project, “Read it Forward Hays CISD.”

The basic idea behind the original grant proposal was to “bring diverse students together for a common goal, spreading positive messages of one book and a love of reading.”

Opportunities for interaction with peers and adult role models demonstrating a dedication to reading, learning and positive relationships were all projected with a book appealing to their target audience. Connections to district goals including tolerance, valuing diversity and accountability to self and others were established.

With the grant funding, 100 bagged copies of a selected book will be provided to readers at each of the district’s five middle school campuses, including a “read it forward kit” offering surveys and invitations to group events. Voluntary participation will be encouraged and rewarded by teachers, administrators and parents, with students “passing the book forward” to other readers as they finish their reading.

Gift certificates, group library meetings, virtual meetings through blogs and distance learning across campuses will lead to a celebratory meeting at the project’s conclusion.

And the winner of the librarians’ book selection process? It’s a sure-fire choice, 2009 Lone Star Reading List favorite “Suck it Up” by Brian Meehl. Yes, it probably comes as no surprise in today’s world that the pick is vampire-oriented though, as one reviewer describes it, the story “is filled with humor, quirky characters, light romance, mild suspense and a lot of fun.”

It’s enough of an indication of the book’s popularity that each of the five librarians in on the grant say that it’s been almost impossible to keep earlier-purchased copies of the book available to their readers, as it is constantly checked out and its constant use keeps wearing out bindings. Yes, it’s a very popular title—a sure-fire winner for generating interest.

Will the 500 books about to be spread across the district with their “read it forward kits” increase more voluntary reading and help deliver the desired results of fostering tolerance and valuing diversity? Watch here for our next report as this Education Foundation grant moves into its next phase.