Richland One Students Surpass Superintendent’s Challenge by Reading Nearly Five Million Minutes
A lofty promise by their superintendent was all the incentive Richland One students needed not just to meet his Book Club Challenge goal but exceed it by reading nearly twice as many minutes as he challenged them to read.
On January 12, Richland One Superintendent Dr. Todd Walker challenged students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade to read for 2.5 million minutes by March 16. If students met or exceeded that goal, Dr. Walker promised he would skydive out of an airplane. The results of the 2026 Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge are in – students exceeded the goal by reading for 4,703,436 minutes.
On March 26, Dr. Walker traveled to Skydive Carolina in Chester where he put on his skydiving gear and jumped out of a plane. Students who met the Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge got to watch a video of Dr. Walker’s skydive during a special celebration April 2 at W.A. Perry Middle School.
To become a member of the Superintendent’s Book Club, each student had to read for 1,500 minutes. This year, 824 students became members of the Book Club.
“Your ability to read is going to be critical and instrumental in your lives. Your ability to read is so important because it opens doors. It gives you new exposure. It gives you new ideas that you may have never had before. It’s the one thing that no one can take away from you. We are so excited to continue to encourage you on your journey in reading,” Dr. Walker said to students during the celebration.
During the celebration, Dr. Walker announced the top elementary school students and the top middle school students who read for the most minutes. Surabhi Raut of Rosewood Elementary School was named the top elementary school reader with 16,352 minutes. Trinity Holmes of Heyward Gibbes Middle School was named the top middle school reader with 12,298 minutes.
The top 10 elementary school readers also included:
- Alexandra Peryshkova – Rosewood Elementary School (15,743 minutes)
- Truett Harrison – Brennen Elementary School (11,560 minutes)
- Rahini Chaudhuri – A.C. Moore Elementary School (11,091 minutes)
- Ian Park – Brockman Elementary School (9,731 minutes)
- Andrew Zimbelman – Brennen Elementary School (8,570 minutes)
- Samuel Fisher – Carver-Lyon Elementary School (8,196 minutes)
- Milo Wolfer – Logan Elementary School (7,830 minutes)
- States Hamilton – Brockman Elementary School (6,812 minutes)
- Raven Johnson – Brockman Elementary School (6,626 minutes)
The top 10 middle school readers also included:
- Min Yang – Crayton Middle School (7,881 minutes)
- Lily-Ann Volz – St. Andrews Middle School (7,449 minutes)
- Ja'Ron Davis – W.A. Perry Middle School (7,020 minutes)
- Dominic Long – W.G. Sanders Middle School (6,740 minutes)
- Zimal Chaudhary – Hand Middle School (6,031 minutes)
- Jason Garcia – W.A. Perry Middle School (5,683 minutes)
- Keona Gomes – St. Andrews Middle School (4,500 minutes)
- McKenzie Wright – Crayton Middle School (3,236 minutes)
- Amanda Enamorado-Cortes – Heyward Gibbes Middle School (3,206 minutes)
Annie Burnside Elementary School was the top elementary school with students collectively reading for 565,373 minutes. W.A. Perry Middle School was the top middle school with students collectively reading for 67,788 minutes.
The Richland One Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge started in 2022 as a way to encourage elementary and middle school students to get excited about reading. Last year, the goal was for students to read for two million minutes, and they exceeded it by reading for 4,416,166 minutes.
Click here to watch the video of Dr. Walker skydiving.
###
PHOTO 1: Surabhi Raut of Rosewood Elementary School was named the top elementary school reader of the 2026 Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge. From left to right are: Dr. Eunice Williams, Richland One’s chief of teaching and learning; Surabhi Raut; and Richland One Superintendent Dr. Todd Walker.
PHOTO 2: Dr. Kamon Singleton, an English Language Arts teacher at Heyward Gibbes Middle School, accepts the award for top middle school reader of the 2026 Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge on behalf of Trinity Holmes, who was unable to attend the celebration. From left to right are: Richland One Superintendent Dr. Todd Walker; Dr. Kamon Singleton; and Dr. Eunice Williams, Richland One’s chief of teaching and learning.
PHOTO 3: Dr. Walker prepares to skydive out of an airplane at Skydive Carolina in Chester. (Photo courtesy of Skydive Carolina)
PHOTO 4: Dr. Walker skydives out of an airplane. (Photo courtesy of Skydive Carolina)