Every Fayette County middle school staffer — including bus drivers — reads the same novel as students

Bus drivers. Janitors. Every teacher in every grade. Starting this month, they are all reading the same book as the students at Fayette County's middle schools — and that is entirely the point.

Every middle school in Fayette County Public Schools has launched a literacy initiative called 'One School, One Book,' in which each school selects a novel built around themes of belonging, community or safety, then puts it in the hands of every person in the building. Students and staff will spend the next month reading and discussing it together, according to school system officials.

At Crawford Middle School Leadership Academy, the launch was treated as an event in itself. Over eight days, students received daily clues about their school's chosen book — references to New York City, a mountain and letters, and a question about where they would write if they had a pen pal. The reveal came Friday at an assembly attended by Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.

The goal of the program is first, for our kids to get engaged with literacy, to get them excited about literacy. Not only reading but other literacies, civic literacy, financial literacy is very important to us.— Sara Green, civics teacher, Crawford Middle School Leadership Academy

Green said the decision to give the book to every adult in the building — not just students — is deliberate and carries a specific message for kids who might otherwise feel like outsiders.

It's important that students see that other people who may not look like them, or may not be from the same area as them, can see that we have shared experiences. It's important, especially in middle school, that students are able to see that, so they feel like they belong. If they come to school and they feel like they belong, they know their teachers care.— Sara Green, civics teacher, Crawford Middle School Leadership Academy

The program also has a built-in support structure for students who struggle with reading. Every morning at Crawford, students begin the day with a leadership class — a daily session where teachers and students can discuss the book and flag where extra help is needed.

You know the first step in getting students engaged is to have them interested. If they're interested in the book, then they're going to want to absorb it. Also, if other kids and teachers are talking about it, then they're going to want to be part of the conversation. So I think it's just that the interest level and that everyone is talking about the topics that are going on in the book that will allow our students to really get engaged.— Sara Green, civics teacher, Crawford Middle School Leadership Academy

We are very big on a sense of belonging here at Crawford Middle School Leadership Academy, because when you come to school you should feel like you belong. This is their community. They're part of a community here at our school; they're part of our community in our city. So just bringing people around common themes that every human experiences no matter where you're from.— Sara Green, civics teacher, Crawford Middle School Leadership Academy

The initiative runs for the next month across all Fayette County middle schools, with each school choosing its own title from within the shared theme. The common thread — belonging, community or safety — gives every school community a topic that, as Green put it, 'every human experiences no matter where you're from.'

Why it matters — For Lexington families with middle schoolers, this means every adult their child encounters at school — from their teacher to the person driving their bus — is reading the same book and can be part of the conversation.

Reported by lex18.com, wtvq.com, readtothem.org