Junior Anyva Poudyal looks at the “good reads” outside of the library at Carmel High School.

Due to the major success of the “good reads” displayed outside the library last year, Terri Ramos, media and communications department chair, said the library department is making moves to advance the culture of reading throughout the school with book themes for each month. The “good reads” are a list of teacher’s favorite books along with pictures of their covers on the window of the library, and according to Ramos, participation increased dramatically this year.

She said, “This year we have 73 staff members doing it and compared to last year we didn’t have anything near that. So, this year, we kind of want to expand on that and get into students a little more with the continued idea and approach of literacy and attention to the culture of reading.”

Junior Anuva Poudyal said she really enjoyed seeing the books outside the library.

“Sometimes when I get into a slump, I can find a teacher I really like and look at their book recommendations, which really helps me out,” She said.

In light of its success, Ramos said she wants to employ new tactics of encouraging reading to students.

“Each month we’ll have a different theme. August was ‘reading is rewarding,’ so we talked with the classes who came in about goal setting, or the idea that reading can be rewarding. Kids might say, ‘you know I really need to get back to reading, I’m going to read a book by December.’ September is ‘reading is hard, and hard is necessary.’ Pushing the idea of the importance of reading things like the fine print insurance for your car and analyzing what that really means.”