Knightly News

We’ve all heard the saying that we make time for the things that are important. With that in mind, Episcopal faculty and staff launched D.E.A.R. or Drop Everything and Read to ensure that members of the Episcopal community make time for reading. To accomplish this, each division designates 20 minutes a week as a period of sustained silent reading. By setting aside time during a school day for reading, faculty are hopeful that students will discover independent reading books that are engaging to them and find more time throughout the day to continue to read, not just in a particular class or subject. It also communicates to students that faculty value reading as an important component of the education process beyond assignments in English class. Why is reading so important? D.E.A.R. organizers Tiffany Whitehead and Kealy Duke offer the following reasons.

1.       Independent reading boosts mental health.

There is no question that a significant level of uncertainty has existed since March 2020. To deal with the stress of the times, many people are looking for ways to relax and unwind. Whitehead points out that “the act of reading lends itself well to mindfulness and meditation. There are benefits to this not just for our students, but for us as adults as well.” In fact, a 2009 study by researchers at the University of Sussex found that reading reduces the stress levels of the reader by 67 percent, which is more of a reduction than found in those who listened to music or played video games. In addition, according to The Reading Agency, “Regularly reading for pleasure has been shown to boost self-esteem, give a greater ability to cope with difficult situations, and improve sleeping patterns.”

2.       Independent reading improves empathy/interpersonal skills.

We talk a lot about empathy and ways to develop it. Whitehead and Duke offer evidence that reading is a great way to improve the ability to relate to others. They say it’s important for students to see themselves in relatable characters while also getting a glimpse into the lives of others. The duo shares a study conducted by John Stansfield and Louise Bunce and published in The Journal of European Psychology Students in which the researchers report the following: “Life-time exposure to fictional texts is associated with the trait of cognitive empathy, whereas the immediate experience of being transported by a story is associated with affective empathy. Story-induced affective empathy in turn predicts immediate helping behaviour. Crucially, an individual’s habits and experiences of reading fictional stories have implications beyond the realms of ‘make-believe’ and fantasy. They are associated with how people understand the minds of those encountered in the real world, and motivation to help those in distress.”

3.       Independent reading positively impacts reading/writing test scores.

Research shows that reading is much more than a way to escape to another world. Considerable learning and development occur with each turn of the page. According to a report from Scholastic, “We learn five to 15 percent of all words we know through reading.” In a report from the National Literacy Trust, authors Christina Clark and Anne Teravainen-Goff report that “Children and young people who enjoy reading are three times more likely to read above the level expected for their age than children who don’t enjoy reading.” Duke shares that academic gains are experienced not only in reading but across all content areas. 

Duke and Whitehead say that recent national trends show that students are reading less, and it’s important to reverse that trend in order to have an informed and educated society. The D.E.A.R. initiative is just one example of the Episcopal faculty’s efforts to raise readers. Learn more about previous efforts to boost reading in the blog posts below.

Author Alda Dobbs Shares Book Inspiration with Episcopal Students

Book Love Foundation Grant Helps Middle School Teacher Share Love of Reading

Children Lacking Empathy? Study Shows Reading May Help

Third Graders Have a Way with Words

The 2022/2023 Drop Everything and Read time for all divisions is Fridays from 8:20 am to 8:35 am. Duke and Whitehead invite Episcopal families to read along with students from wherever they are.

For book recommendations and other library news, students and families are encouraged to follow Aldrich Library on social media:

@AldrichKnights on Instagram and @aldrichknights on TikTok

@AldrichKnights

@AldrichKnights

Popular Middle Grade Books:

"Alone" by Megan E. Freeman
"Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
"Aru Sha and the City of Gold" by Roshani Ghokshi
"Daughter of the Deep" by Rick Riordan
"Ground Zero" by Alan Gratz
"One Jar of Magic" by Corey Ann Haydu
"Star Fish" by Lisa Fipps
"The Shape of Thunder" by Jasmine Warga
"Violets are Blue" by Barbara Dee
"Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero" by Saadia Faruqi

Popular Young Adult Books:

"10 Blind Dates" by Ashley Elston
"A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder" by Holly Jackson
"Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
"Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
"Dry" by Neal Shusterman
"Instructions for Dancing" by Nicola Yoon
"Knights of the Hill Country" by Tim Tharp
"Lore" by Alexandra Bracken
"One of Us is Lying" by Karen McManus
"The Fountains of Silence" by Ruta Sepetys
"The Girls I’ve Been" by Tess Sharpe
"Truly Devious" by Maureen Johnson

Lower School Librarian, Sara Gomez, has also compiled a list of recommendations for Lower School readers:

Everybody Books (Picture Books):

"Bright Star" by Yuyi Morales
"Change Sings" by Amanda Gorman & Loren Long 
"Jack Horner: Dinosaur Hunter" by Sophia Gholz & Dave Shephard 
"Lila Lou’s Little Library" by Nikki Bergstresser & Sejung Kim 
"The Creature of Habit" by Jennifer E. Smith & Leo Espinosa 
"The Littlest Yak" by Lu Fraser & Kate Hindley 
"The World is Awake for Little Ones" by Linsey Davis, Joseph Bottom, & Lucy Fleming
"I Am Love: A Book of Compassion" (Series) by Susan Verde & Peter H. Reynolds 

Lower Grades:

Fiction

"Willodeen" vy Katherine Applegate (Fantasy, Grades 3-6)
"Investigators" series by John Patrick Green (Graphic Novels, Grades 2-5)
"In the Meantime" by Jason Reynolds & Raul the Third (Realistic Fiction, Grades 4-6)
"Total Mayhem" (New Series) by Ralph Lazar (Action/Adventure, Grades 2-5)

Popular Series New Releases

"Narwhal’s School of Awesomeness" by Ben Clanton (Humor, Grades 1-4)
"Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories" by Jeff Kinney (Humor, Grades 4-7)
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid 16: Big Shot" by (Humor, Grades 4-7)
"City of Spies 2: Golden Gate" by James Ponti (Action/Adventure, Grades 4-7)

Nonfiction

"Barefoot Books: Water" by Christy Mihaly & Mariona Cabassa (Grades 3 and up)
"Einstein" by Torben Kulmann (Grades 2-5)
"Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls" series (Grades 3-6)
"Planet Power" by Stacy Clark and Annalise Beghelli (Grades 1-5)
"Highlights 2022 Almanac of Fun" (Grades 1 and up)
"Highlights Book of Things to Do" (Grades 2 and up)

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2025-2026 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.