Hawthorne librarian describes Everybody Reads effort; district logs 495,123 books

Sarah Becker, librarian at Hawthorne Elementary School, told the board the district’s Everybody Reads initiative ran from March 1 through March 31 with the theme Tales on the Trails. Becker said schools ran student-led displays, community volunteers read in person on March 9 and 10, and the district logged 495,123 books read against a 500,000-book goal.

Becker described volunteers from Reach Literacy and partners like Promising Futures and Sioux Land Public Libraries who donated time and books; Reach Literacy will receive a $1,000 donation from the Sioux Falls School District to support ongoing literacy work. Becker said 35 volunteers read at Hawthorne on the event dates; staff recorded immediate positive feedback from students and volunteers.

Becker told the board: “Hello. My name is Sarah Becker. I am the librarian at Hawthorne Elementary,” and recounted a first grader who left the library singing, “Best day ever.” The board applauded the presentation and thanked the volunteers and community partners who supported the program.