The student-led initiative by the Years 9 and 10’s ‘Thursday Murder (Book) Club’ launched in early November to support the charity Read for Good.
The organisation raises funds for storytelling and book resources for children in UK hospitals, including Southampton’s children’s ward and book supplies for the PEH. The college also receives 20% of the money raised to go towards providing book vouchers for its own students.
Library monitor Emily Garland, 13, said her favourite genres were horror and the classics. She is currently making her way through an omniverse collection of stories from all three Bronte sisters.
‘Reading transports me to another world of the past. I love it,’ she said.
Year 7’s Henry Wilson, 11, has completed 15 of the 16 full-length fantasy detective Skulduggery Pleasant books, in addition to various short story spin-offs. He said reading was a good way to relax.
‘It’s really funny. They’re really descriptive and I can picture what is happening in my head,’ he said.
Henry has raised a sizeable £50 in sponsorship for the Readathon from family and friends.
More than 70 students across the school signed up to the Readathon, with each student receiving a digital reading tracker and sponsorship form where they are notified of the week’s challenge. This week, a collective target of 10,000 minutes spent reading was set. By Tuesday, they had already reached more than 8,000.
‘The main goal of the Readathon is to celebrate reading in all its forms. Whether it’s books, blogs, articles or short stories, all reading counts towards students’ targets. The initiative encourages everyone to recognise that any time spent reading is valuable,’ said school librarian Sally Henderson.
‘It’s been really good to hand it over to the students. They’ve got their friends involved and we couldn’t do it without them.’
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