Drop Everything and Read in SD73

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On Monday, October 23, 2023, in celebration of National School Library Day, 12,470 students and staff from 42 schools with SD73 participated in the annual Drop Everything and Read Day (DEAR). This activity aligns with the value of Equity in the District Strategic Plan 2022-2027 by creating environments that provide empowering opportunities for all students and staff to thrive.

Whether students were in gyms, labs, school libraries, or classrooms, students were invited to join the national movement by dropping everything and reading for 20 minutes!

“This event was made even more exciting thanks to the dedicated efforts of our SD73 Teacher-Librarians who organized a range of literacy activities leading up to DEAR Day,” said Andrea Wallin, Library Learning Commons Coordinator. “These activities included pajama day, buddy reading sessions, and reading challenges.”

Teacher-Librarian Renae Gartrell from Haldane and Beattie Elementary incorporated the Medicine Wheel into her school's DEAR Events. “Connecting our emotional, spiritual, body and mind while reading is important when gaining knowledge because we are making personal connections, asking questions and reflecting on our feelings,” emphasized Ms. Gartrell. At Haldane the Chase Heat hockey club comes into the school to buddy read with classes and some lucky students get to participate in a floor hockey game with the players.

For Roberta Kuan, Teacher-Librarian at RLC Elementary, the school-wide event was meaningful as it aligned with the school’s goals of creating a sense of belonging and positive connections among students and staff in the building. Kuan says, “It’s pretty incredible as the entire school participates at the same time!”. 

The history of DEAR dates back to 2007, when Surrey teacher-librarian Bonnie Chapman shared a literacy promotion idea at a professional learning conference. She and her colleagues recognized the importance of promoting reading for pleasure, and the strong correlation between daily reading and reading achievement. 

In 2008, several teacher-librarians across the province began preparations to launch a province-wide literacy promotion event. DEAR continues to grow within SD73, British Columbia, and at the national level.

For further information on DEAR, you can explore the BC Teacher-Librarian Association website for more information about DEAR.

A special thank you to District Library Learning Commons Coordinator, Andrea Wallin, for sharing the excitement of DEAR promoting the joy of reading in schools.