A typical high schooler’s bedroom: Piles of papers scattered across the ground. Heavy backpacks and tons of notes with red pen marks and comments.

And then there’s the books that are assigned to us. That we have to analyze and write reports on. Books we don’t get to pick. We no longer read because we want to, we read because we have to.

What happened to just reading?

So often school work overrides our own interests. We read every day, but the reading is dull and monotone and we are forced to do it.

But reading is amazing. It takes you to a different world where you can escape your anxieties and avoid people. It lets you be a million people at once.

Let me introduce you to a new idea: RHS first Community Read. First proposed by RHS parent Lottchen Shivers, in a meeting of the Building Level Planning Team, the Community Read plans to put the fun back in reading by picking a book for the school to read merely for pleasure.

It allows us to get a break from the constant stimulation and work high school throws at you. English teacher Stephanie Baird also plays a big part in this project, serving on the committee to select a text.

It’s not mandatory.

It won’t be graded.

It’s just to read.

I interviewed Ms. Mustello who is part of the project and asked her what she thought about it. “I used to be a director of a library. Students are so busy with school work that they don’t have time to read for pleasure. I think the Community Read Plan can change that,” she said.

As soon as next year, your grade may be invited to participate in this exciting new event. Titles recommended by our Media Specialist Diane Linenbroker and our local Oblong bookstore owner Suzanne Hermans are being reviewed by the committee.

The book has not yet been chosen, but meetings will be held in the next weeks to make a final decision. Regardless of the book, it will be sure to be free of homework and essays around it.

It will be read just for fun.