During the week of March 4-8, Fluvanna County Public Schools is participating in Read Across America Week, a week started by the National Education Association that motivates students to read and interact with new and different books. In honor of this week, three schools in FCPS (Fluvanna County High School, Carysbrook Elementary, and Fluvanna County Middle School) had a district-wide, reading-themed spirit week with days like “Read My Shirt” Tuesday and “Dress Like A Book Character” Thursday.

The FCHS Library is contributing to this week by hosting a Read-A-Thon fundraiser on March 7. For a small donation, students can purchase 30-minute blocks of time to get out of class in order to read a book in the school library. The cost is $1 for every 30 minutes or $10 for an entire day for reading time in the library. Students must first get permission from their teachers in order to miss class. The library will be closed to students not participating in this event on this day.

According to FCHS librarian Ann Jennings, this is the second year the school is doing this event. “We are hoping to have more participants sign up this year so we can beat our numbers from last year,” she said.

Jennings added that “funds that are raised will go to the Fluvanna County High School Book Club and the Dolly Parton Imagination book club which funds books to give to young kids.”

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library gives books to children ages five and younger to encourage students in less advantaged areas to read and increase their access to children’s books. Last year, the Read-A-Thon raised almost $200 to donate to this cause.

Interested students should visit the library to sign up and get a teacher permission form or email [email protected] for more information.

Editor update: According to librarians Shannon Taylor and Ann Jennings, as of the end of the school day on March 7, FCHS students had read a total of 11,157 pages in the Media Center. There were 39 participants, for a total of 5393 minutes read.