This year’s Holiday Reading Challenge, hosted by Trinity College School’s Junior and Senior School libraries, brought our community together in a shared love of reading.

Held between December 22nd and January 8th, the challenge saw participants track each day that they read for at least 30 minutes over the holiday break. For each day of reading, the participant received an entry into a prize draw. TCS students, family members (including alumni) and staff joined in the fun.

In the Junior School, 49 students took part, representing all of the homeforms. Combined, the students read for 657 days, or at least 328.5 hours. That’s an incredible 19,710 minutes spent reading!

In the Senior School, 19 students participated in the challenge, reading for a combined total of 245 days. That adds up to a minimum of 122.5 hours, or 7,350 minutes, read!

In the broader school community, 20 alumni, parents and siblings signed up for the challenge. They logged 294 days of reading, or a minimum of 147 hours (8,820 minutes).

Not to be outdone, 35 Senior and Junior School staff members also dedicated time to reading over the break. The group recorded 529 days of reading, or at least 264.5 hours (15,870 minutes).

The winner of the Junior School student draw was Matthew Hassard, in Grade 6, who read every day of the break. Grade 6 also won the homeform prize, with 12 students taking part and reading for a combined total of 186 days. Grade 11 student Charlotte Patterson took home the Senior School student prize. The prize for family members went to Jake Deacon, an alumnus from the class of 1989 and current parent, while Brandon Black from the English department won the staff prize.

Overall, the 123 participants in the Holiday Reading Challenge achieved 1,725 days of reading over the two weeks of break, meaning a minimum of 51,750 minutes spent with a good book. Clearly, TCS is a community of readers!