Boston High students tell Levy school board how book club supports literacy and competition readiness
Summary
Three Boston High School students told the Levy County School Board how their BMHS book club—meeting weekly during lunch—boosts reading engagement, prepares students for the county book-battle competition and supports higher FAST assessment scores through classroom-aligned work and Beanstack reading logs.
Three students from Boston High School’s book club told the Levy County School Board about the club’s role in improving reading and preparing students for the county book-battle competition.
"We are members of the BMHS book club. We are excited to share how our club supports literacy, student engagement, and a love of reading at our school," said Kira, one of the student presenters. The students explained the club meets once a week during lunch with the reading coach and an English teacher to read titles from the SSYRA list and practice competition-style questions.
Superintendent Tammy Boyle described the program as part of a rotating county book-battle program and said the club complements classroom instruction. Board members were shown assessment context: staff and student presenters said regular participation aligns with Florida BST ELA standards and that, as a group, book-club members have maintained proficiency on FAST assessments, and that schoolwide reading proficiency has increased over the past three years. Staff referenced Beanstack reading logs as a tool used to document and encourage reading outside class time.
Board members asked how books are assigned and how practice questions are created; students and staff explained that the club divides the list so each member reads different titles and that student members draft chapter-level questions to build a question bank for practice. Board members praised the students and encouraged expanding similar programs across the district.
The presentation concluded with the board taking no formal action; members suggested continuing support for school-level literacy programs and volunteer participation for events tied to student learning and competitions.
