October 19, 2026
Just before spring break, several fourth graders approached Humanities Teacher Endia Richardson with a request she hadn’t expected: Could they take their classroom novels home?
There was no assignment to complete over the break. They weren’t required to keep reading. They simply wanted to know what happened next.
“As a Humanities teacher, those are the moments you hope for,” Richardson said. “When students are choosing to read beyond what is required and are genuinely eager to find out what happens next, you know the book has become more than an assignment to them.”
That enthusiasm is no accident. Throughout City Academy, teachers, staff, volunteers, families, and school leaders work together to create a culture where reading is more than an academic skill. It is an opportunity to explore new worlds, encounter different perspectives, build relationships, and experience the joy of a good story.
“One of my main goals is for my students to discover a joy for reading. I want them to become confident readers.”
– Celest Wilson, 1st Grade Humanities Teacher
During the 2025-26 school year, City Academy students read nearly 25 million words through independent reading, classroom novels, and book studies. But the number tells only part of the story.
For City Academy’s youngest readers, cultivating that enthusiasm begins with helping students see themselves as readers.
“First grade is such a crucial year when it comes to becoming a reader,” First Grade Humanities Teacher Celest Wilson said. “One of my main goals is for my students to discover a joy for reading. I want them to become confident readers.”
Wilson helps build that excitement by transforming her classroom into “StarBOOKS,” a coffee-shop-inspired “Book Tasting” where students preview stories they’ll encounter during upcoming reading units. Students browse books and — with a few tasty treats along the way — build excitement before formal instruction begins.
As students progress through City Academy, those opportunities for exploration and choice grow with them.
In fourth grade, Richardson also transforms her classroom into a café for Book Tastings. Students use “book menus” to explore upcoming literature, watch book trailers, sample pages, make predictions, and consider how different genres can explore a common theme.
The experience also gives students greater ownership over what comes next. Students have opportunities to consider different options for their main fictional novel and make an informed choice about what they want to read together.
“Giving students a voice creates ownership and investment in their learning,” Richardson said. “When students feel that their interests and opinions are valued, they are often more willing to take risks, participate in discussions, and become invested in the reading.”
The enthusiasm extends well beyond individual classrooms. The Book Book Go mobile library gave first through fourth graders opportunities to select books to take home, while visits from children’s authors Salina Yoon, Joanna Ho, and Sarah Sax brought the people behind the stories directly to campus.
First graders also welcomed Mystery Readers throughout the spring semester, when special guests surprised the class with stories. For Wilson, the visits reinforce an important message: “It’s nice to see that grown-ups love to read as well.”
Adults model that enthusiasm throughout City Academy. Faculty members participate in their own book club, teachers make sure students see them reading, and even the school’s president can be found with a book in hand alongside students.
A few years ago, Librarian Martha Altvater and City Academy’s third-grade teachers invited President and Co-Founder Don Danforth, an avid reader, to join a student book club. It quickly became one of his favorite parts of the week. When the opportunity arose to read alongside fifth graders this past school year, he eagerly joined them.
Together, they read Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan, which weaves together the stories of three young people from different backgrounds whose lives are connected by music and a mysterious harmonica. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the novel sparked conversations about history, identity, adversity, and connection.
“I was surprised by how eager they were to learn more about the complex subject of World War II in Germany and America and make connections between the past and the present,” Danforth said. “They quickly identified and empathized with three protagonists with very different experiences and cultures.”
For Danforth, those conversations demonstrated one of literature’s greatest strengths.
“Books have a way of bringing people together,” he said. “They help us understand lives and experiences beyond our own. In our book club, I loved how students discovered that three characters from very different places and backgrounds had much more in common than they first imagined.”
That discovery reflects City Academy itself. “That’s what City Academy has always been about,” Danforth said, “bringing people together and helping them see what connects us rather than what separates us.”
The entire school community celebrated that joy of reading during Camp Read-A-Lot. The week transformed literacy into an adventure through activities including a Poetry Slam, Masked Reader, camp songs, theme days, and a closing celebration centered around the message: Reading is a Superpower.
Students reaching half-million and million-word milestones received certificates and recognition. Wilson’s first graders surpassed one million words, while fourth grader Arlo reached an extraordinary individual milestone of two million words.
By the end of the year, City Academy students had read 24,917,668 words. Yet the real story can’t be measured by a number alone.
It is found in first graders walking into StarBOOKS excited about stories they haven’t read yet; in authors and Mystery Readers showing children that a love of books lasts well beyond childhood; in fourth graders asking to take novels on spring break simply because they can’t wait to find out what happens next; and in a school president sitting alongside fifth graders, discovering new perspectives together.