On a recent October morning, a buzzing bevy of Patriot High School students gathered in the quad, to make crafts, pose for photos, enjoy snacks, and make new friends…with books.
The annual Warriors are Readers event encourages students, especially freshmen, to gather for a fun before-school get-together designed to help students discover a joy for reading. The English and Theatre Departments lead the annual event. Numerous campus clubs also support the effort.
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The event included activities such as bookmark making, a photo wall, a book giveaway, hot chocolate and snacks, and a book tasting, where students perused a wide variety of book genres.
English Department Chair Theresa Mendoza noted that the idea for the event came about following distance learning during the pandemic.
“We were struggling with getting kids to read,” she said. “To get them reading on their own time and finding a passion for reading was really difficult.”
The event focuses on freshmen. “We’re trying to set a tone for their next four years. We want to catch them young and we want to encourage this passion for reading that was kind of lost.”
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Ms. Mendoza is happy to note that the event has now become a cherished tradition.
“Our seniors know it’s a right of passage to have come to the Warriors are Readers event as freshmen.”
One of those seniors is Sebastian Diaz, who attended this year’s event with fellow members of the Dramatis Personae club to promote their production of Alice in Wonderland.
“I’ve been here for all four of them now,” Sebastian said. “I love the food… and I like looking at new books and hanging out with my friends. It’s really always a good time.”
Sebastian said he’s also developed a love for reading.
“I like how it explores really what it means to be human. I like …the diversity of characters and looking into unique perspectives and facing ideas I haven’t really thought of myself. I like really getting into the deep stuff.”
Freshman Celeste Rico attended her first Warriors are Readers event this year.
“I would want to come to it again,” she said.
Celeste admitted she wasn’t always an avid reader.
“I just started liking to read,” she said. “I found more books that actually interest me, and so I started liking to read,” she said, adding that realistic fiction is her favorite genre and her favorite book is The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.
“You just have to keep looking for a book that actually interests you,” she said. “Once you find it you’re going to be more interested.”
Celeste, who is in Ms. Mendoza’s Honors English class, started daily reading as for class assignments.
“At first reading for 30 minutes was kind of like a hassle, but then I actually started getting into the book, and then I...wanted to read more. I’ll have my phone right next to me and I’ll put it down to read.”
These success stories aren’t surprising to teachers like Ms. Mendoza, who understand that reading benefits students far beyond the classroom.
“Basic literacy is important for any class they take,” Ms. Mendoza noted. “They really need to comprehend and think about their reading.”
“When they see good writing they will emulate that writing. When they read stories they can write better stories. It’s a lesson in English. It’s a lesson in humanity, it’s a lesson for all the subject areas.”
