Last summer, Langley started a new program in hopes uniting the school: the Langley Read. This year, students may expect some changes as the idea continues to develop in its second year.
The Langley Read is a program in which all teachers and students read the same book over summer vacation, regardless of grade level or course schedule. Last year—the year the program was launched—students and faculty read Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, a nonfiction story about success.
AP English teacher, Ms. Susan Broad, who views the program “as a way to bring the school together,” originally proposed the idea.
Although Langley is creating this program independently, other schools in the area have similar programs, most notably, Thomas Jefferson High School. “We have looked at what they’ve done, but we model it for our own school,” said Ms. Broad.
Similar programs have also been enacted at universities in order to connect the student body. For example, some schools require incoming freshman to read the same book before classes begin in order to create a common link between a variety of people.
At Langley, mixed feelings about the program surfaced after last year. “Even though I thought Outliers was a great book, with all of my other AP work I wish I didn’t have to read it over the summer,” said junior Bansari Patel.
However, the committee in charge of the Langley Read is looking to raise support as the program continues to expand. For example, there may be a sort of “kickoff” early in the school year to help students understand the reading. This may include student-led discussions during Saxon Time, possibly a visit from the author of the selected book, or experts about the addressed topics.
The selection process for the book begins with the students, parents and teachers of Langley, who all have the opportunity to suggest books to the committee overseeing the Langley Read. Out of roughly thirty-five suggestions, the committee then narrows the list down to about five books that are not already in a class curriculum and will fit the interests of a range of students. Students then put the several possible books to an online vote in order to determine the official Langley Read.
In its second year, the Langley Read plans to continue, “Providing the Langley community with a common, intellectual activity,” said Principal Matthew Ragone.