Rockwood Educators Participate in Summer Reading Competition

This past summer, our Rockwood high school librarians challenged educators at all four locations to see who could read the most literature. A total of 260 staff members participated in the contest, reading 947,956 pages over the course of 2,645 books.

"We are so excited about the reading our collected staff did this summer," said Nicci Ballard-Long, library media specialist at Lafayette High. "They read almost a million pages, and we almost doubled the number of participants from a usual summer!"

Learn more about the top readers below.

Calvin "Kip" Lewis
Special Education Interpreter
Eureka High

1) How many books did you read this summer? I read 105 books; 21,004 pages.

2) What types of genres do you like to read and why?  Science fiction, action/thrillers, superheroes, espionage. I like the fantastic worlds they create.

3) Why did you decide to participate in the reading contest? I saw they included graphic novels, and I know I read many of them.

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Donna Hagemeier
College and Career Office Secretary
Lafayette High

1) How many books did you read this summer? I read 108 books this summer; 34,778 pages.

2) What types of genres do you like to read and why? I like to read all kinds of books, but my favorites are -

Historical fiction and nonfiction, because I always come away with something I didn't know before.
Mysteries/thrillers, because I enjoy books that keep me guessing until the very end.

My favorite would be a combination of the two, mainly historical fiction with a mystery embedded within the story. I think books are better than television or movies because you gain additional insights, such as a particular character's detailed reasoning behind their actions.  

3) Why did you decide to participate in the reading contest? I've participated for several years. It is easy to participate by reading or listening to audiobooks (I especially enjoy audiobooks), and I like to see what others are reading and how they are rating the books. It is a great way to find new books to read! 

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Anna Gray
Social Studies Teacher
Marquette High

1) How many books did you read this summer? 23 books; 8,289 pages.

2) What types of genres do you like to read and why?

I like murder mysteries and thrillers that challenge me to try to figure something out before the main character does. I like being on the edge of my seat while I'm reading, but I also love anything with really great characters. I will read just about any genre and love getting book recommendations from my students and colleagues!

3) Why did you decide to participate in the reading contest?

I use the summer to recharge, and reading is one of my favorite pastimes. Also, I'm pretty competitive so I didn't want to lose to the other high schools. I probably read more than I would have otherwise if not for the competition.

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Lindsey Keirsey
Social Studies/Special Education
Rockwood Summit High

1) How many books did you read this summer? 43 books; 16,178 pages

2) What types of genres do you like to read and why?

I read all genres. My favorites are probably realistic fiction, sci-fi/fantasy/horror and biography/memoir.

3) Why did you decide to participate in the reading contest?

I was going to be reading anyway - how fun to make it a contest with my colleagues!