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Book club’s influence extends to students
PHOTO/WENDY MACARTHUR
A monthly staff book club of current and former professionals at Hopkinton Middle School has increased connections as well as pages turned by teachers and students.
Now in its fourth year, the club allows members to build camaraderie and share their favorite books. Unexpected byproducts of the group include the creation of splinter groups for specific genres and reading appreciation among students.
Literary coach Carrie Conner said she chose her profession because a reading specialist helped her overcome her struggle with reading in the third grade. She holds a master’s degree in reading from Boston College.
“By the time I left sixth grade, I was a voracious reader,” she said, noting that she has spent her entire 29-year career at HMS.
Jennifer Kennally, a learning specialist for sixth graders, has been a Hopkinton Public School teacher for 20 years of her 30-year career.
While Kennally and Conner share a love for the group, they both readily admitted that they rarely enjoy the same books.
“It’s great to see other perspectives,” said Kennally. “Sometimes we both like the way something is written, not the subject.”
Conner and Kennally praised club member and HMS library media specialist Wendy MacArthur for her book recommendations. Kennally reads historical fiction, while Conner appreciates books with “redemptive characters.”
“I hadn’t finished a book in years since having kids, and the book club gave me something beyond being a mom and a teacher,” shared Laura Bailey-Jones, a seventh grade science teacher.
The group includes a variety of staff members. There are guidance counselors, a math teacher and two retirees. Membership is fluid, MacArthur noted.
Added Mac Arthur: “They’re the ones that really engage with their students, and you can see it.”
MacArthur holds a “book tasting” event for students to “get them hooked on reading.”
“Now they’re getting old enough to think of books as more than just stories,” she said.
In a follow-up email, MacArthur shared statistics about HMS students’ reading habits. A sample size of about 1,000 students showed that a total of 55,000 books were read last school year. Nearly 52,000 were e-books or audiobooks.
“The estimated average for many middle schools is about 20 books per student,” she added. “At HMS, our students are averaging about 55 books. And, from the middle school’s online library, they read 1,288 books this summer.”
The most popular book genre is Japanese manga. A single manga series can include anywhere from 10 to 100 volumes.
Stated MacArthur: “We are definitely a reading town!”
— MARY ELLEN GAMBON
Latest News
The Mental Health Collaborative will host the Coast-to-Coast Pickleball Classic on Sept. 13 at the Ace Pickleball Club in Westborough.
Town meetings tonight include the Water & Sewer Advisory Board (5) and Board of Appeals (7).
Photo of the Day
Jess Feigen (left), the new owner of Swoon Central, assists a customer with a purchase during a back to school fundraising event at the store Friday. Swoon reopened last week after closing at the end of July.
PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD
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