The halls fall silent shortly after a quick announcement proclaiming Drop Everything And Read, an annual event at Oak Bay’s middle school.
In the Monterey Institute of Technology class, true to their form, students read both paper tomes and words on phones.
Organized by the Library Leaders at Monterey Middle School, the entire school read for at least 15 minutes Oct. 26.
“It’s a way to celebrate our school libraries as well as remind people how important reading is to our everyday lives,” says Keely Thornton, Monterey’s teacher librarian who heads the Library Leaders.
The province-wide DEAR initiative started five years ago, as did the tradition at Monterey.
DEAR is a provincial event created by the BC Teacher Librarian Association while celebrating national school library day.
“I like inviting some of our prominent members of our community,” Thornton says.
“It gets a little more attention outside of our school. We have amazing readers here already. (The guests) can take that away and realize reading is not a lost art.”
Guests this year included MLA Andrew Weaver, Mayor Nils Jensen, SD61 board of education member Deborah Nohr, GVPL Oak Bay librarian Sarah Isbister and Oak Bay firefighters.
Visit bctladear.blogspot.ca to learn more.