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Richland One Students Surpass Superintendent’s Challenge by Reading More Than Four Million Minutes

A lot of Richland One students really wanted to see their superintendent get covered in Silly String, and they proved it by reading for more than four million minutes.

On January 13, Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon challenged students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade to read for two million minutes by March 17. If students met or exceeded that goal, Dr. Witherspoon promised that the top elementary school and middle school students would have the opportunity to spray him with Silly String. 

The results of the 2025 Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge are in – students exceeded the goal by reading for 4,416,166 minutes. 

To become a member of the Superintendent’s Book Club, each student had to read for 1,500 minutes. This year, 740 students became members of the Book Club.  

A special celebration was held April 10 at C.F. Bolden Stadium (adjacent to W.A. Perry Middle School), where students got to spray Dr. Witherspoon with Silly String.  

“I want each and every one of you to keep that love of reading because that will take you places literally and figuratively. Literally when you open that book you gain knowledge. You gain creativity. You gain those insights. Figuratively, you can go places, and you can imagine and know things your neighbor might not know,” Dr. Witherspoon said to students during the celebration. 

Shawn Beach, author of “Mission: Jam and Jelly,” served as the event’s guest speaker. Beach recorded a video message to encourage students during the challenge.

During the celebration, Dr. Witherspoon announced the top elementary school students and the top middle school students who read for the most minutes. Gavin James of Horrell Hill Elementary School was named the top elementary school reader with 13,308 minutes. Tinsley Joyner of Crayton Middle School was named the top middle school reader with 7,239 minutes.  

The top 10 elementary school readers also included: 

  • Clara Faulkenbury – Satchel Ford Elementary School (8,830 minutes)
  • Aiden King – Carver-Lyon Elementary School (6,858 minutes)
  • Christian Boyd – W.S. Sandel Elementary School (6,645 minutes)
  • Ian Park – Brockman Elementary School (6,468 minutes)
  • A’Mia McKnight – A.J. Lewis Greenview Elementary School (5,956 minutes)
  • Aurora Merz – Satchel Ford Elementary School (5,546 minutes)
  • Ian Hanna – Caughman Road Elementary School (5,274 minutes)
  • Sofia Zamudio Cruz – Carver-Lyon Elementary School (5,205 minutes)
  • Samuel Fisher – Carver-Lyon Elementary School (5,198 minutes)
     

The top 10 middle school readers also included: 

  • Irene Musila – St. Andrews Middle School (5,346 minutes)
  • K’mariyn Anderson – Alcorn Middle School (5,280 minutes)
  • Alexander Anite – Hopkins Middle School (5,000 minutes)
  • Jace Jones – Alcorn Middle School (4,628 minutes)
  • Emma Flach – Hand Middle School (4,344 minutes)
  • Ella Harrison – Crayton Middle School (3,501 minutes)
  • E’Lani Dunlap – W.G. Sanders Middle School (3,300 minutes)
  • Christopher Kruckow-Remsburg – St. Andrews Middle School (2,796 minutes)
  • Daijah Carter – Hopkins Middle School (2,547 minutes)


A.C. Moore Elementary School was the top elementary school with 284,277 minutes. The average minutes read per student was 1,215.  

Alcorn Middle School was the top middle school with 126,676 minutes. The average minutes read per student was 340. 

The Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge started in 2022 on Read Across America Day.

The goal that inaugural year was for students to read 250,000 books. Students across the district met and exceeded the challenge by reading a combined total of 561,731 books. In 2023, the goal was for students to read 750,000 books. Students exceeded it by reading 1,046,651 books. 

Last year’s challenge was the first year students tracked the number of minutes they’ve read instead of the number of books. The goal was for students to read for 1.5 million minutes. Students across the district exceeded the goal by reading for 6,010,907 minutes. 

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Group of people standing and smiling, woman holding award

PHOTO 1: Kimberly Douglas, the reading coach at Horrell Hill Elementary School, accepts the award for top elementary school reader of the 2025 Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge on behalf of Gavin James, who was unable to attend the celebration. From left to right are: Dr. Eunice Williams, Richland One chief of teaching and learning; Kimberly Douglas; Richland One Commissioner Jamie L. Devine; and Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon.

 

Group of people standing and smiling, girl holding award

PHOTO 2: Tinsley Joyner of Crayton Middle School was named the top middle school reader of the 2025 Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge. From left to right are: Dr. Eunice Williams, Richland One chief of teaching and learning; Richland One Commissioner Jamie L. Devine; Tinsley Joyner; and Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon.

 

Group of students smiling and holding spray cans

PHOTO 3: The top elementary and top middle school readers of the 2025 Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge prepare to spray Dr. Witherspoon with Silly String.

 

Man gets sprayed with Silly String by students

PHOTO 4: Dr. Witherspoon gets sprayed with Silly String by the top elementary and top middle school readers.