Exeter Township Senior High School’s Reading Olympics team brought home the gold for the 7th year in a row during this year’s county-wide competition held at Conrad Weiser right before spring break. Exeter competed against nine other teams from Berks County in a head-to-head competition where students are asked questions about 25 books on an assigned reading list. Working collaboratively, Exeter finished this year’s competition with an outstanding 75 points, with Wilson coming in second with 70 points and Brandywine coming in third with 52 points.

Members include: Samantha Baer, Ian Carr, Owen Davis, Cooper Devlin, Jysadee Giddens, Madyson Hirneisen, Madison Kiesselbach, Lydsey Kline, Alexandra Kononov, Sarah McCarthy, Marissa Millar, Alexis Nonnemacher, Charlotte Rismiller, Kayla Schafer and Isabella Stoudt. The team is advised by SHS English teachers Mrs. Heather Mills and Mrs. Lisa McCoy, who shared more about the club’s accomplishments:

What are students required to do to be a part of the club? 

The members of the club work together to share the reading responsibilities of 25 books determined by the Reading Olympics Committee. As a club, we try to have at least two to three people read the same book so that they can collaborate. Usually members read on average five to seven of the books on the list.

How do you think students fit all of that reading into their busy schedules? Are a lot of them involved with other extracurricular activities and sports/music?

Many of our club members are busy in various other clubs, sports, music, and theater activities, but they manage to fit reading into their schedules. Some make it a part of their independent reading assignments in their English classes, while others set aside time from their busy schedules to read a chapter or two until they have completed the book. Our members love reading, so it is not seen as an arduous task but a labor of love.  They are also excellent at holding one another accountable and checking in on each other's progress. No one wants to let the team down.

How long have you and Mrs. Mills advised the Reading Olympics? What's your membership been like? Is it up/down? What about since the pandemic? 

Mrs. Mills and I have been the advisers since its inception in 2016, and our membership has been constant. Mrs. Sowers at the Junior High School does such a great job with their Reading Olympics team that we normally have a few students who come to the high school looking to continue their Reading Olympics journey and usually jump in. Also, being English teachers makes it easier to recruit new members!  We have won every single competition that we have attended (2020 is of course an exception because of COVID). That is seven straight victories!  Who doesn't want to be a part of a winning tradition?

In this day of social media, how does it make you feel to see kids dedicating time to the pleasure of reading? Do you think many of them will continue to read for pleasure as adults?

Most of our students enjoy being able to escape into a good book. These are students who actively seek out books to read and love receiving and offering book recommendations to others. They see value in what books offer, and reading has become an integral part of who they are. They are building positive lifelong habits that will continue to benefit them as they increase their vocabulary, knowledge, and empathy through reading. Many of them will undoubtedly become future leaders due to these strengths. So, yes, absolutely they will continue and encourage others as well.