While walking down the halls or sitting in certain classrooms, you may have noticed the Bingo boards posted on the walls. You may have also been asked to vote for our school’s library to win $60,000 for books. That is because, this year, the librarians have been working hard to integrate something new into our school.

    The Raptor Reading Challenge is a Bingo challenge that the librarians adapted that is meant for teachers and students to explore a wide range of books.

    “We made it so that, very intentionally, it incorporated a wide variety of genres, but that it also included authors and characters from very underrepresented groups,” librarian Kristin McKeown said.

    In order for one to get a Bingo, the books that they read won’t be too similar—one row offers readers five very different types of books.

    “It opens anyone up to reading books that they are interested in and that they would’ve picked up anyway,” librarian Hollie Hawkins said. “It’s also asking them to read other types of books that they normally wouldn’t.”

    The center of the Bingo board for the Raptor Reading Challenge encourages everyone to read a book by an African American author. In order to incorporate this part of the challenge with Black History Month, the library will be hosting an event for both students and staff after school on February 28 from 3:15 to 4:15.

    “It’s really just show up, eat some snacks, and talk about books you read that was by a Black or African American author,” McKeown said. “We wanted to have an event that punctuated this month.”

    The creation of the Raptor Reading Challenge was originally meant to be used on a smaller scale, mainly among staff, but the promotion of the challenge increased when the library decided to participate in the Follett Challenge. The Follett Challenge is a program that encourages educators to “implement a unique, collaborative program that engages students.”

    “You have the potential to win $60,000 from Follett, which is a company that provides books to schools,” Hawkins said.

    After submitting their video and paperwork, voting opened on January 23 and closed January 27. The library will find out whether Eaglecrest is a semi-finalist on February 28.

    Aside from submitting the their work to the Follett Challenge, McKeown and Hawkins have seen the Raptor Reading Challenge reach much further than just the walls of Eaglecrest.

    “It’s actually been adopted into other schools,” McKeown said. “It’s applicable in a way that’s on a larger scale, and that’s the whole point.”

    If you haven’t begun to participate in the Raptor Reading Challenge, it’s not too late. Participating will truly open up your eyes to the diversity of this world through a different lens.

    “We hope it’s encouraging everyone at school to maybe think about what they’re reading, especially in the current [political] climate and the division between people,” Hawkins said. “It’s a great way to remind people to think about other lives. It’s good to have empathy.”