From the Springfield Republican
SPRINGFIELD — Rachel Gravel is laying down a seven-figure challenge for readers in Springfield. She wants several thousand children and adults to collectively read for one million minutes during the summer break from school.
“We’re encouraging folks to go for it. Level up your reading game, and let’s try and get a million minutes together as a community,” said Gravel, who is manager of adult and youth information services at Springfield City Library.
The challenge kicks off June 23, running through July and August. Gravel said she hopes to triple the number of people who joined the library’s summer reading program last year — from fewer than 1,000 to 3,000 readers.
She told The Republican that group read around 250,000 minutes.
If Springfield hopes to hit the million-minute mark with 3,000 readers, each person will have to read 5½ minutes a day for 60 days.
“This is an opportunity to really go for gold,” she said.
Each summer, some 400,000 Massachusetts children, teens and adults join library reading programs, according to Massachusetts Libraries Board of Library Commissioners. Nearly every library in Western Massachusetts is running programs, which are free and open to the public.
Research shows if students do not read over the summer, they lose reading, comprehension and critical-thinking skills, according to Scholastic Parents.
“Kids lose significant knowledge in reading and math over summer break, which tends to have a snowball effect as they experience subsequent skill loss each year. (Another) study showed students lost about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 27 percent of their school-year gains in math,” according to Scholastic Parents.
The Holyoke Public Library has summer reading programs for children, teens and adults, and has been marketing them to the public through city departments and speaking directly to children in school.
“We try and get the entire community involved, from birth to 99-plus. We want everyone participating,” said Nathan Hayes, the children’s librarian in Holyoke.
Like many libraries, Holyoke has a kickoff party and ongoing events that promote reading for the entire summer. Depending on the library, there can be magicians, clowns, face painting, music, games, ice cream socials — and prizes are everywhere.