In celebration of National School Library Day, over 6,700 students and staff from 19 SD73 schools participated in the annual Drop Everything and Read Day (DEAR).

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 on Monday, October 26th.

Literacy Events

SD73 Teacher-Librarians coordinated a variety of literacy events leading up to the day including pajama day, buddy reading activities, and reading challenges. 

Teacher-Librarian Renae Gartrell from Dallas says that “DEAR is an opportunity for an entire school to come together and promote the importance of reading for pleasure. There is a strong correlation between daily reading and reading achievement. Not only do we gain knowledge, but personal connections and reflection are also gained through reading.”

History of DEAR

DEAR began in 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 in our district, in British Columbia and on a national level.

Story provided by Andrea Wallin (she/her), Library Learning Commons Coordinator