Readers Rally: Where the love of reading meets the buzzer

     This year marks the 19th annual GCPS Readers Rally championship, the largest annual reading event in Gwinnett County. Readers Rally allows students to engage with books and their peers. Rally teams proudly represent their schools as they go head-to-head against other schools in their division, answering questions about the Rally books in a quiz-bowl-style format. Winning teams in each division compete in a division championship televised by GCPS TV.

   The competition includes 87 school teams representing each level and cluster. Students spend an average of eight months reading a list of ten books that represent the best titles in modern children’s literature. High school teams read selected titles from the Georgia Peach Award for Teen Readers nominees and elementary and middle schools read from a list of highly recommended books narrowed down to ten by a committee of GCPS media specialists, teachers, and parents.

     Five Forks Middle School Media Specialist Monica Brown notes that many students are already familiar with Readers Rally from elementary school, which helps spark their initial interest.

     “The students who typically join Readers Rally are those with a strong love for books,” Brown says. “Many of them are avid readers but tend to be shy when it comes to interacting with their peers. Through our book club, we create a safe and engaging environment where students can connect through their shared love of stories,” she continues. “As a media specialist, much of my work involves teaching formal lessons, but Readers Rally allows me to connect with students on a more personal level and share my love for reading with them.”

      At North Gwinnett Middle School, Media Specialist Jenny Stark describes Readers Rally student participants as “proud readers” and “social bookworms” who love to talk about books and debate their favorites with each other.

      “It is amazing to see quiet students grow in confidence throughout the year,” Stark says. “At our school, we encourage students to take ownership of the club; they are reading all the books, writing many questions, revising notes about the books as they read, and leading discussions at each club meeting. They are engaging with all the core competencies found in the GCPS Portrait of a Graduate as they work together to build and lead a strong team. These skills developed through Readers Rally—particularly communication, critical thinking, and adaptability—are lifelong competencies that serve them in academics and other extracurricular activities. I am most proud of my students, though, for the way they demonstrate leadership and sportsmanship during competitions when emotions run high.” 

     Stay tuned for this year’s winning elementary, middle, and high school teams as Readers Rally takes place on February 28.

Photos of North Gwinnett Middle Readers Rally team provided by Jenny Stark.